Integrated roofing accessories for unmanned vehicle navigation and methods and systems including the same

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides systems and methods enabling unmanned vehicle navigation and delivery including an integrated roofing accessory integrated into a roof, the integrated roofing accessory including at least one antenna and a computing module in communication with the at least one antenna, where the computing module, when software is executed, is configured to transmit, via the at least one antenna: electronic operating instructions to at least one unmanned vehicle, and network messages related to the at least one unmanned vehicle to at least one additional integrated roofing accessory. A landing member is on the roof and the electronic operating instructions comprise: at least one landing instruction configured to cause the at least one unmanned vehicle to land on the landing member, and at least one take-off instruction configured to cause the at least one unmanned vehicle to take off from the landing member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/099,364, filed on 16 Nov. 2020 and entitled “INTEGRATED ROOFINGACCESSORIES FOR UNMANNED VEHICLE NAVIGATION AND METHODS AND SYSTEMSINCLUDING THE SAME”, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication 62/935,974, filed on 15 Nov. 2019 and entitled “INTEGRATEDROOFING ACCESSORIES FOR UNMANNED VEHICLE NAVIGATION DELIVERY AND METHODSAND SYSTEMS INCLUDING THE SAME”, which are herein incorporated byreference in their entirety.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The field of the present disclosure relates to integrated roofingaccessories and more specifically to uses of integrated roofingaccessories in unmanned vehicle navigation and delivery.

BACKGROUND

Rapid deployment and delivery of parcels to customers using unmannedvehicles is a growing field. However, there are barriers the success ofsuch deployment and delivery. Such barriers include, but are not limitedto, charging, guidance, storage, distance from origination, relay,repair, notification, and tracking. Methods and systems that will removethese barriers to unmanned vehicle navigation and delivery are needed.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Systems, methods and apparatuses of embodiments of the presentdescription enable widespread and cost-effective unmanned vehiclecommunication networks for navigation and delivery by integratingunmanned vehicle infrastructure in roofing accessories that areinstallable in commercial and/or residential roofing structures.

In some embodiments, the present description provides an exemplarysystem that include at least the following components: an integratedroofing accessory that is integrated into a roof, where the integratedroofing accessory includes: at least one antenna and a computing modulein communication with the at least one antenna. The computing moduleincludes at least one processor and a non-transitory memory storagehaving software stored thereon, where the computing module, when thesoftware is executed by the at least one processor, is configured totransmit, via the at least one antenna: i) electronic operatinginstructions to at least one unmanned vehicle, and ii) network messagesrelated to the at least one unmanned vehicle to at least one additionalintegrated roofing accessory on at least one additional roof, where theat least one additional integrated roofing accessory is configured totransmit the electronic operating instructions to the at least oneunmanned vehicle. The system further includes a landing member that ispositioned on the roof, where the electronic operating instructionsinclude: i) at least one landing instruction configured to cause the atleast one unmanned vehicle to land on the landing member, and ii) atleast one take-off instruction configured to cause the at least oneunmanned vehicle to take off from the landing member.

Another illustrative embodiment of the present description provides asystem that include at least the following components: a plurality ofintegrated roofing accessories are integrated into a plurality of roofs,where each integrated roofing accessory of the plurality of integratedroofing accessories includes at least one antenna and a computing modulein communication with the at least one antenna. The computing moduleincludes at least one processor and a non-transitory memory storagehaving software stored thereon, where the computing module, when thesoftware is executed by the at least one processor, is configured totransmit, via the at least one antenna: i) electronic operatinginstructions to at least one unmanned vehicle, and ii) network messagesrelated to the at least one unmanned vehicle to each integrated roofingaccessory, where the plurality of integrated roofing accessories areconfigured to transmit the electronic operating instructions to the atleast one unmanned vehicle. The system further includes a plurality oflanding members that are positioned on the plurality of roofs, where theelectronic operating instructions include: i) at least one landinginstruction configured to cause the at least one unmanned vehicle toland on a particular landing member of the plurality of landing members,and ii) at least one take-off instruction configured to cause the atleast one unmanned vehicle to take off from the particular landingmember.

Another illustrative embodiment of the present description provides amethod that includes at least the following steps: obtaining anintegrated roofing accessory, where the integrated roofing accessoryincludes at least one antenna and a computing module in communicationwith the at least one antenna. The computing module includes at leastone processor and a non-transitory memory storage having software storedthereon, where the computing module, when the software is executed bythe at least one processor, is configured to transmit, via the at leastone antenna: i) electronic operating instructions to at least oneunmanned vehicle, and ii) network messages related to the at least oneunmanned vehicle to at least one additional integrated roofing accessoryon at least one additional roof, where the at least one additionalintegrated roofing accessory is configured to transmit the electronicoperating instructions to the at least one unmanned vehicle; mountingthe integrated roofing accessory on a roof. The method further includesobtaining a landing member, and mounting the landing member on the roofand where the electronic operating instructions include: i) at least onelanding instruction configured to cause the at least one unmannedvehicle to land on the landing member, and ii) at least one take-offinstruction configured to cause the at least one unmanned vehicle totake off from the landing member.

Another illustrative embodiment of the present description provides amethod that includes at least the following steps: controlling, by atleast one processor of a computing device of an integrated roofingaccessory, at least one antenna according to software to transmit: i)electronic operating instructions to at least one unmanned vehicle, andii) network messages related to the at least one unmanned vehicle to atleast one additional integrated roofing accessory on at least oneadditional roof, where the at least one additional integrated roofingaccessory is configured to transmit the electronic operatinginstructions to the at least one unmanned vehicle, where the integratedroofing accessory is installed on a roof causing, by the at least oneprocessor via the network messages, the integrated roofing accessory,the at least one additional integrated roofing accessory, or both, tocommunicate with at least one unmanned vehicle; and causing, by the atleast one processor via the network messages, the at least one unmannedvehicle to navigate to a landing member positioned on the roof.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where thelanding member is directly connected to the integrated roofingaccessory.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where thelanding member is a horizontal platform.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one unmanned vehicle is configured to transport at least onedelivery item, and where the system further includes a receptacle thatis configured to accept the at least one delivery item.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where thelanding member includes the receptacle.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where thelanding member is configured to allow the at least one unmanned vehicleto be electrically charged from a power supply.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one antenna is embedded within a surface of the integrated roofingaccessory.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where theintegrated roofing accessory and the at least one additional integratedroofing accessory form a computer network based at least in part on thenetwork messages.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where theintegrated roofing accessory has a right edge, a left edge, a frontedge, and a back edge, where one or more of the right edge, the leftedge, the front edge, and the back edge is configured to contact atleast one additional roofing accessory on the roof.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where the atleast one additional roofing accessory further includes at least oneshingle that is made from a roofing material.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where one ormore of the right edge, the left edge, the front edge and the back edgeis configured to contact the at least one additional roofing accessoryon the roof such as to form a seal between the integrated roofingaccessory and the at least one additional roofing accessory.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include a watershedding layer provided on the roof; and where the integrated roofingaccessory is mounted over the water shedding layer.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where theintegrated roofing accessory has a planar shape; and where theintegrated roofing accessory is configured to be installed on a face ofthe roof.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where theintegrated roofing accessory has a ridge shape; and where the integratedroofing accessory is configured to be installed in a ridge vent of theroof.

The systems and methods of some embodiments further include where theplurality of integrated roofing accessories includes at least threeintegrated roofing accessories integrated into at least three roofs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the disclosure are herein described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specificreference now to the drawings in detail, the embodiments shown are byway of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion ofembodiments of the disclosure. In this regard, the description takenwith the drawings makes apparent to those skilled in the art howembodiments of the disclosure may be practiced.

FIG. 1 depicts a non-limiting embodiment of an integrated roofingaccessory according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts a non-limiting embodiment depicting the attachment of theintegrated roofing accessory of FIG. 1 to a roof.

FIGS. 3A and 3B depict non-limiting embodiments depicting schematics ofa network employing antennae integrated into the integrated roofingaccessory of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A and 4B depict non-limiting embodiments depicting arrangementsof integrated roofing accessories of FIG. 1 on residential roofs.

FIG. 5 depicts a non-limiting embodiment depicting integrated roofingaccessories of FIG. 1 embedded into various roof locations.

FIG. 6 depicts a non-limiting embodiment depicting an arrangement of theintegrated roofing accessories of FIG. 1 across an area for coverageover a whole area with unmanned vehicle navigation network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Among those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, otherobjects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures. Detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosedherein; however, the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative ofthe disclosure that may be embodied in various forms. In addition, eachof the examples given regarding the various embodiments of thedisclosure which are intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive.

Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take themeanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,”and “in some embodiments” as used herein do not necessarily refer to thesame embodiment(s), though it may. Furthermore, the phrases “in anotherembodiment” and “in some other embodiments” as used herein do notnecessarily refer to a different embodiment, although it may. Allembodiments of the disclosure are intended to be combinable withoutdeparting from the scope or spirit of the disclosure.

As used herein, the term “based on” is not exclusive and allows forbeing based on additional factors not described, unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. In addition, throughout the specification,the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references. Themeaning of “in” includes “in” and “on.”

All prior patents, publications, and test methods referenced herein areincorporated by reference in their entireties.

As defined herein, an “integrated roofing accessory” is a roofingaccessory having at least one electronic component and at least oneroofing accessory component. In some embodiments, an integrated roofingaccessory includes at least one electronic component embedded within atleast one roofing accessory component.

As used herein a “roofing accessory component” is any part of a roofingaccessory. Non-limiting examples of roofing accessory componentsinclude: roofing caps, laminate shingles, roofing sheets, ridge caps,ridge vents, roofing frames, the like, or any combination thereof.Additional non-limiting examples of the least one roofing accessorycomponent of the at least one integrated roofing accessory are found inU.S. Pat. Nos. 7,165,363 and 10,180,001, both of which are attachedhereto as Appendixes A and B respectively, and both of which areincorporated by reference in their respective entireties.

Non-limiting examples of the at least one roofing accessory component ofthe at least one integrated roofing accessory include: roofing caps,laminate roofing accessories, roofing sheets, ridge caps, ridge vents,roofing frames, roofing shingles and the like, or any combinationthereof. Additional non-limiting examples of the at least one portion ofthe roofing accessory are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,165,363 and10,180,001, both of which are incorporated by reference in theirrespective entireties.

As used herein, the term “antenna” or “antennae” refers to a device thatis part of a transmitting or receiving system to transmit or receiveelectromagnetic signals.

As defined herein, an “unmanned vehicle” is a vehicle without apassenger or navigator on board. Unmanned vehicles may operateautonomously, may be operated by a remote navigator, or any combinationthereof. Examples of unmanned vehicles include, but are not limited to:unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) (e.g., “self-driving” or “autonomous”cars), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., “drones”), unmannedunderwater vehicles (UUVs) (e.g., “underwater drones”), unmanned surfacewater vehicles (USVs) (e.g., “self-driving” or “autonomous” boats), andunmanned spacecrafts (e.g., space probes).

As defined herein, the term “dynamically” means that events and/oractions can be triggered and/or occur without any human intervention. Insome embodiments, events and/or actions in accordance with the presentinvention can be in real-time and/or based on a predeterminedperiodicity of at least one of: nanosecond, several nanoseconds,millisecond, several milliseconds, second, several seconds, minute,several minutes, hourly, several hours, daily, several days, weekly,monthly, etc.

As used herein, the term “route” is a maximum distance that an unmannedvehicle can travel.

As used herein, the term “real-time” is directed to an event/action thatcan occur instantaneously or almost instantaneously in time when anotherevent/action has occurred. For example, the “real-time processing,”“real-time computation,” and “real-time execution” all pertain to theperformance of a computation during the actual time that the relatedphysical process (e.g., a user interacting with an application on amobile device) occurs, in order that results of the computation can beused in guiding the physical process.

As defined herein, an “integrated roofing system” is a system includingat least one integrated roofing accessory.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systemsthat include at least one integrated roofing accessory. Some embodimentsof the present disclosure relate to methods and systems that include aplurality of integrated roofing accessories. Some embodiments of thepresent disclosure relate to methods and systems that include at leastthree integrated roofing accessories. Some embodiments of the presentdisclosure relate to methods and systems that include at least fiveintegrated roofing accessories. Some embodiments of the presentdisclosure relate to methods and systems that include at least tenintegrated roofing accessories. Some embodiments of the presentdisclosure relate to methods and systems that include at least fiftyintegrated roofing accessories. Some embodiments of the presentdisclosure relate to methods and systems that include at least onehundred integrated roofing accessories. Some embodiments of the presentdisclosure relate to methods and systems that include at leastone-thousand integrated roofing accessories.

In some embodiments, there are 1 to 10,000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments there are 1 to 5000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 1000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 100 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 50 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 25 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 10 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 5 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 1 to 2 integrated roofingaccessories.

In some embodiments, there are 2 to 10,000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 5 to 10,000 integratedroofing accessories. In some embodiments, there are 10 to 10,000integrated roofing accessories. In some embodiments, there are 50 to10,000 integrated roofing accessories. In some embodiments, there are100 to 10,000 integrated roofing accessories. In some embodiments, thereare 500 to 10,000 integrated roofing accessories. In some embodiments,there are 1000 to 10,000 integrated roofing accessories. In someembodiments, there are 5000 to 10,000 integrated roofing accessories.

In some embodiments, there are 2 to 5000 integrated roofing accessories.In some embodiments, there are 5 to 1000 integrated roofing accessories.In some embodiments, there are 10 to 5000 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 50 to 100 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 60 to 90 integrated roofingaccessories. In some embodiments, there are 70 to 80 integrated roofingaccessories.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory mayinclude at least one electronic component embedded within at least oneroofing accessory component.

Non-limiting examples of the at least one electronic component of the atleast one integrated roofing accessory include: at least one antenna, atleast one solar array, at least one battery, at least one computingdevice, at least one controller, at least one processor, the like, orany combination thereof. The at least one electronic component may alsoinclude processors, microprocessors, circuits, circuit elements (e.g.,transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integratedcircuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmablelogic devices (PLD), digital signal processors (DSP), field programmablegate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers, semiconductor device, chips,microchips, chip sets, and so forth. In some embodiments, the one ormore processors may be implemented as a Complex Instruction Set Computer(CISC) or Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processors; x86instruction set compatible processors, multi-core, or any othermicroprocessor or central processing unit (CPU). In variousimplementations, the one or more processors may be dual-coreprocessor(s), dual-core mobile processor(s), and so forth. Additionalexamples of electronic components can be found in US Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2019/0123679.

FIG. 1 depicts a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of an integratedroofing accessory described herein. In the non-limiting exemplaryembodiment, the integrated roofing accessory 11 may be in a form offrame that may include at least one cover 18, and at least one computingmodule 20, jointly referenced herein as the frame components. In someembodiments, the frame components may also include a front edge portion14, a right edge portion 16, a left edge portion 17 and a back-edgeportion (not shown). Together, the front edge portion 14, the right edgeportion 16, the left edge portion 17 or back edge portion may form aframe to carry or enclose the cover 18 and computing module 20. In someembodiments, the combination of the frame, the cover 18 and thecomputing module 20 may form the integrated roofing accessory 11 thatmay be installed on a roof as a unit with or without additionalintegrated roofing accessories.

In some embodiments, the front edge portion 14, the right edge portion16, the left edge portion 17 or back edge portion may be separatelyattachable to each other, to the cover 18, or both. However, in someembodiments, the front edge portion 14, the right edge portion 16, theleft edge portion 17 or back edge portion are all fixed to each other,such as by being integrally formed together, fastened together with asuitable fastener (e.g., bolt, screw, rivet, pin, etc.), connected viaan adhesive, or by some other method. The frame of the integratedroofing accessory 11 may then carry the cover 18 and/or computing module20. In some embodiments, the frame components may be made of anymaterial. In some embodiments, the frame components include at least oneof molded or extruded plastic, aluminum, a polymer composite material,the like, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, each of the cover 18, computing module 20 and anyother frame components may be integrally formed, e.g., by, for example,without limitation, molding or cutting the computing module 20 into amaterial, such as, e.g., roofing material (e.g., a polymer or othersuitable roofing material). Thus, the electronics of the computingmodule 20 as well as the attachment mechanisms of the front edge portion14, the right edge portion 16, the left edge portion 17 or back edgeportion may be embedded into the material.

In some embodiments, the front edge portion 14, the right edge portion16, the left edge portion 17 or back edge portion, or a combinationthereof may be fixed to the cover 18 or removably attached. Moreover, asshown in FIG. 2, one or more roofing accessories 11 can be joined viaone or more frame components (for example, without limitation, by one ormore attachment mechanisms on the front edge portion 14, the right edgeportion 16, the left edge portion 17 or back edge portion, or acombination thereof). For example, integrated roofing accessories 11 maybe removable joined among themselves and/or removably joined to otherroofing accessories and components, such as shingles, waterproofingmembranes, underlayment, tiles, photovoltaic panels, among othersuitable roofing accessories and components to cover a roof via, forexample, without limitation, suitable mating mechanisms on one or moreframe components (e.g., the cover 18) Various additional examples of theframe components that may be utilized to build and/or join theintegrated roofing accessories 11 among themselves or to other roofingaccessories, and their arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.9,169,646 which issued on Oct. 27, 2015; U.S. Pat. No. 9,273,885 whichissued on Mar. 1, 2016; and 10,256,765 which issued on Apr. 9, 2019, allof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for suchspecific purposes.

In some embodiments, the at least one computing module 20 includes atleast one electronic component 21, which may be mounted to or recessedin the top surface of roof and mounted to or embedded into an undersideof the cover 18. In some embodiments, cover 18 may be covered with aprotective material chosen from at least one of, a polymer, an epoxy,the like, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the framecomponents may also include at least one additional computing module(not shown), which may include at least one second electronic componentand wiring to electrically connect the integrated roofing accessory 11to additional roofing accessories and infrastructure (e.g., powersource, photovoltaic panels, additional integrated roofing accessories11, etc.). For example, one or more the frame components may be formedwith a data bus or data bussed to enable electronic communication withmating busses of adjacent and/or attached additional roofingaccessories. As such, electronic components 21 may interconnect withelectronic components in other roofing accessories to create a system ofinterconnect roofing accessories.

In some embodiments, the cover 18 and computing module 20 form amodified photovoltaic module of the integrated roofing accessory 11. Forexample, the modified photovoltaic module may have a photovoltaic panelemployed as the cover 18. In some embodiments, the modified photovoltaicmodule includes a frame constructed from the frame components, and theelectronic components 21 included within the computing module 20. Insome embodiments, computing module 20 may be integrated into thephotovoltaic panel, when such is utilized as the cover 18, or in one ormore of the front edge portions 14, the right edge portion 16, the leftedge portion 17 or back edge portion of the frame components. In someembodiments, the computing module 21 may be an additional compartmentenclosed within the integrated roofing accessory 11 (e.g., enclosed byone or more framing components (e.g., the cover 18)).

In some embodiments, the modified photovoltaic module may include aphotovoltaic panel (as the cover 18), that may be modified to collocateantennae with the photovoltaic panel, e.g., without limitation, byplacing one or more antenna elements between photovoltaic cells of thephotovoltaic panel, placing one or more antenna elements over or underphotovoltaic cells of the photovoltaic panel, integrating antennaelements into the photovoltaic cells of the photovoltaic panel, or byanother suitable technique. Accordingly, a radio of the electroniccomponents 21 may emit unmanned vehicle navigation signals via thephotovoltaic panels using the collocated antennae.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory 11 may emitunmanned vehicle navigation signals using one or more antennaeintegrated into the cover 18. For example, a dielectric antenna may beembedded in a polymer sized to cover one or more frame components suchas, without limitation, the computing module 20. In some embodiments,the dielectric antenna may be a patch antenna, or other suitable antennafor embedding in the cover 18 such that the cover 18 may form an antennamodule covering the electronic components 21 of the integrated roofingaccessory 11. As a result, the cover 18 may serve as both a roofingaccessory to weatherproof a roof of a house, as well as an antenna foran unmanned vehicle navigation network, as described below.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11may include electronic components 21 including a communication modulethat is configured to allow unmanned vehicle navigation signals to betransmitted. In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofingaccessory 11 may include electronic components 21 including acommunication module that is configured to allow unmanned vehiclenavigation signals to be received. In some embodiments, the at least oneintegrated roofing accessory 11 may include electronic components 21including a communication module that is configured to allow unmannedvehicle navigation signals to be transmitted and received.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory isconfigured to allow electromagnetic signals to be transmitted. In someembodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory is configuredto allow electromagnetic signals to be received. In some embodiments,the at least one integrated roofing accessory is configured to allowelectromagnetic signals to be transmitted and received. In someembodiments, the electromagnetic signals facilitate navigation ofunmanned vehicles. In some embodiments the electromagnetic signals thatfacilitate navigation of unmanned vehicles through the globalpositioning system (GPS).

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessoryincludes at least one embedded antenna. In some embodiments, the atleast one embedded antenna is configured to perform at least one of thefollowing operations: receiving electromagnetic signals (e.g., GPSsignals), transmitting electromagnetic signals (e.g., GPS signals), orany combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11includes at least one embedded antenna. As used herein, the term“antenna” or “antennae” can refer to a device that is part of atransmitting or receiving system to transmit or receive wirelesssignals. In some embodiments, the at least one embedded antenna isconfigured to perform at least one of the following operations:receiving electromagnetic waves (e.g., unmanned vehicle navigationsignals), transmitting electromagnetic waves (e.g., unmanned vehiclenavigation signals), or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11 isconfigured to support at least one signal propagation strategy. The atleast one signal propagation strategy includes, but is not limited to,at least one of: many inputs—many outputs (MIMO), beam forming mesh, thelike, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the at least one embedded antenna is at least onedielectric antenna. In some embodiments, the at least one dielectricantenna takes the form of at least one dielectric antenna array. In someembodiments, the at least one dielectric antenna array includes aplurality of dielectric antennas configured to wirelessly receive acontrollable beam in response to electromagnetic signals. In someembodiments, the at least one dielectric antenna array includes aplurality of dielectric antennas configured to wirelessly transmit acontrollable beam in response to the electromagnetic signals. In someembodiments, the at least one dielectric antenna array includes aplurality of dielectric antennas configured to wirelessly transmit andreceive a controllable beam in response to the electromagnetic signals.

In some embodiments, the dielectric antenna is embedded within the cover18 or is covered by the cover 18 within the at least one computingmodule 20. Accordingly, the cover 18 may be constructed from a materialthat has a minimal effect on the unmanned vehicle navigation signalsemitted by the dielectric antenna, such as a material that istransparent to unmanned vehicle navigation signals, thus causingsufficiently low attenuation for a stable data transmission orreception. For example, the cover 18 may include a polymer, includingengineered polymers. In some embodiments, the dielectric antenna ismounted on an exterior surface of the integrated roofing accessory 11,e.g., on an exterior of the cover 18 relative to the at least onerecessed computing module 20.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11includes at least one of: at least one computing device, at least onestorage component, or at least one memory component. In someembodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11 isconfigured to dynamically carry out prescribed functions. In someembodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11 isconfigured to be controlled remotely by a network operator oradministrator (e.g., an unmanned vehicle navigation network), such as ina software defined network 30 as described below with reference to FIG.3A. In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory11 is configured to be controlled remotely by a wired connection. Insome embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11includes a base configuration. In some embodiments, the at least oneintegrated roofing accessory 11 can be expanded from the baseconfiguration.

Non-limiting examples of the at least one computing device include atleast one personal computer (PC), laptop computer, ultra-laptopcomputer, tablet, touch pad, portable computer, handheld computer,palmtop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular telephone,combination cellular telephone/PDA, television, smart device (e.g.,smart phone, smart tablet or smart television), mobile internet device(MID), messaging device, data communication device, and the like.Additional non-limiting examples of the at least one computing deviceinclude processors, microprocessors, circuits, circuit elements (e.g.,transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integratedcircuits, ASIC, PLD, DSP, FPGA, logic gates, registers, semiconductordevice, chips, microchips, chip sets, and so forth. In some embodiments,the one or more processors may be implemented as a CISC or RISCprocessors; x86 instruction set compatible processors, multi-core, orany other microprocessor or CPU. In various implementations, the one ormore processors may be dual-core processor(s), dual-core mobileprocessor(s), and so forth.

Non-limiting examples of the at least one storage component or the leastone memory component include: read only memory (ROM); random accessmemory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flashmemory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms ofpropagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digitalsignals, etc.), or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, a plurality of integrated roofing accessoriesdescribed herein can be installed on a plurality of roofs, so as tocreate an unmanned vehicle navigation network (unmanned vehiclenavigation network). In some embodiments, a plurality of integratedroofing accessories described herein can be installed on a single roofso as to create the unmanned vehicle navigation network.

In some embodiments, a method of using an unmanned vehicle navigationnetwork described herein includes: providing a plurality of integratedroofing accessories as described herein; transmitting at least oneelectromagnetic signal (e.g., an unmanned vehicle navigation signal)from a first integrated roofing accessory; and receiving the at leastone electromagnetic signal by a second integrated roofing accessory. Insome embodiments, the second integrated roofing accessory furthertransmits the at least one electromagnetic signal to a third integratedroofing accessory, and so on. In some embodiments, the first integratedroofing accessory is located on a first building, the second integratedroofing accessory is located on a second building, the third integratedroofing accessory is located on a third building, and so on.

In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of the at least oneembedded antenna, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11 mayinclude a visual indicator 18 or electronic indicator 19 to facilitatenavigation of unmanned vehicles. For example, the visual indicator 18may include, e.g., a Quick Response (QR) code, a bar code, a micro code,a location identification (e.g., longitude-latitude, address, etc.), orother visual marker to identify the location of the at least oneintegrated roofing accessory 11. For example, the electronic indicator19 may include, e.g., an embedded radiofrequency identification (RFID)tag, an embedded near field communication (NFC) tag, or other electronicidentification marker to identify the location of the at least oneintegrated roofing accessory 11.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11may comprise electronic indicator 19 including at least one embeddedRFID tag. In some embodiments, the at least one embedded RFID tag may beutilized by at least one unmanned vehicle 100 to verify a location fordelivering at least one parcel. For instance, in some non-limitingexemplary embodiments, an unmanned vehicle may deliver a parcel to apredetermined location. Upon arrival at the predetermined location, theunmanned vehicle may use an on-board RFID reader to scan the RFID, so asto determine whether the predetermined location is the correct locationfor delivery of the parcel. In some embodiments, the at least one RFIDtag may be embedded into at least one roofing accessory component in themanner described by US Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0330218,attached hereto as Appendix D and incorporated by reference herein inits entirety.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory may includeelectronic indicator 19 including at least one embedded RFID reader. Insome embodiments, the at least one embedded RFID reader may comprise thefollowing non-limiting components: at least one embedded antennadescribed herein, at least one embedded battery described herein, atleast one memory component described herein, the like, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the at least one RFID readeris configured to identify at least one unmanned vehicle 100. In someembodiments, the at least one RFID reader is configured to identify atleast one parcel. In some embodiments, the at least one RFID reader isconfigured to track at least one unmanned vehicle 100. In someembodiments, the at least one RFID reader is configured to track atleast one parcel. In some embodiments, the at least one RFID reader isconfigured to identify and track at least one unmanned vehicle 100. Insome embodiments, the at least one RFID reader is configured to identifyand track at least one parcel.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory described hereinmay include visual indicator 18 including at least one embedded barcode. While the embedded bar code may be any type of bar code, in someembodiments, the at least one embedded bar code is a quick response (QR)code.

In some embodiments, the display of the visual indicator 18 may be afixed or static display, such as, e.g., a marking on the at least oneintegrated roofing accessory 11 using a suitable marking technique. Forexample, the visual indication may be formed from a substance formed onthe at least one integrated roofing accessory 11, where the substancehas a color that contrasts with a substrate including the at least oneintegrated roofing accessory 11. For example, the visual indicator 18may be printed on a material having a solid color, and the material isadhered to the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11. In anotherexample, the visual indicator 18 may be engraved into a top surface ofthe at least one integrated roofing accessory 11. Other forms ofmarking, such as forming on the top surface of the at least oneintegrated roofing accessory 11 a substance having a color differentfrom the top surface of the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11via, e.g., printing, painting, inking, depositing, forming from a tapeor other adhered material, or by any other suitable technique.

In some embodiments, the display of the visual indicator 18 may be adynamic display. For example, the at least one integrated roofingaccessory 11 may have embedded or other otherwise integrated thereon anelectronic display device, such as, e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, light emittingdiode (LED) display, an eInk™ display, or other controllable displaytype. In some embodiments, the electronic display device may beinstalled on or in the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11 witha waterproof or water-resistant cover that is transparent.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory described hereinmay include the visual indicator 18 including at least one embedded barcode reader. While the embedded bar code reader may be configured toread any type of bar code associated with or formed on the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the at least one embedded barcode reader is configured to read QR codes. In some embodiments, the atleast one embedded bar code reader may comprise the followingnon-limiting components: at least one embedded antenna described herein,at least one embedded battery described herein, at least one memorycomponent described herein, the like, or any combination thereof. Insome embodiments, the at least one bar code reader is configured toidentify at least one unmanned vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the atleast one bar code reader is configured to identify at least one parcel.In some embodiments, the at least one bar code reader is configured totrack at least one unmanned vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the atleast one bar code reader is configured to track at least one parcel. Insome embodiments, the at least one bar code reader is configured toidentify and track at least one unmanned vehicle 100. In someembodiments, the at least one bar code reader is configured to identifyand track at least one parcel.

As shown in FIG. 2, the integrated roofing accessories 11 may be mountedonto a roof 43 using any suitable attachment mechanism such as fasteners(e.g., nails, screws, pins) and/or adhesives, or by attachmentmechanisms mating to the attachment mechanisms of the frame components(left and right edge portions 16/17, front edge portion 14, and backedge portion (not shown)), such as the attachment mechanisms disclosedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,169,646, 9,273,885, and 10,256,765, incorporated byreference above. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories11 can be coated with asphalt before, during, or after installation. Insome embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 11 may be mountedon, under, or within one or more roofing materials. As used herein, theterm “roofing material” includes, but is not limited to, shingles,waterproofing membranes, underlayment, tiles and photovoltaic panels.

In some embodiments, the left and right edge portions 16/17, front edgeportion 14, and back edge portion (not shown) of the at least oneroofing accessory 11 may contact left and right edge portions 16/17,front edge portion 14, and back edge portion (not shown) of an adjacentroofing accessory, such as, e.g., a solar panel, a shingle, at least oneadditional integrated roofing accessory or other roofing accessory 26.The contact may form a seal, and as a result, the at least integratedroofing accessory 11 and the other roofing accessory 26 may form a watershedding layer. However, in some embodiments, the contact may not form awatertight seal, and as a result, a water shedding layer may be providedon the roof 43 below the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11and each other roofing accessory 26.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 11 on the roof43 may electrically communicate with each other wirelessly or via awired connection routed through the side portions 16/17 (e.g., via abus, as described above). Accordingly, in some embodiments, oneintegrated roofing accessory 11 on the roof 43 can be connected to apower source, such as, e.g., via wiring 24 to a connection in a ridgevent 23 or to some other power source connection. However, in someembodiments, each roofing accessory 11 may be separately connected tothe wiring 24 to the ridge vent 23.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessoryincludes at least one of an embedded solar array, an embedded battery,or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, at least one of theembedded solar array, the embedded battery, or any combination thereofcan dynamically supply power to at least one unmanned vehicle 100. Insome embodiments, the embedded battery is configured to be charged byeither the embedded solar array or the power source. In someembodiments, the embedded battery is configured to deliver directcurrent (DC) power to at least one unmanned vehicle 100. In someembodiments, the embedded battery is configured to deliver alternatingcurrent (AC) power to at least one unmanned vehicle 100.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory includes at leastone power unit to provide power from the embedded solar array, embeddedbattery, power source or combination thereof. In some embodiments the atleast one power unit may comprise various components configured todeliver power to at least one unmanned vehicle 100. The variouscomponents configured to deliver power to at least one unmanned vehicle100 include but are not limited to: the at least one embedded battery,the at least one embedded solar array, or any combination thereof. Insome embodiments, the at least one power unit includes a wirelessconnection or wired connector, where the wireless or wired connector isconfigured to provide power to at least one device. In some embodiments,the at least one device is an unmanned vehicle. In some embodiments, theat least one device is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In someembodiments, the wired connector is of a type configured to mate with acharging port on the unmanned vehicle.

In some embodiments, where the at least one power unit includes awireless connection, the wireless connection may include a wirelesscharging technology to wirelessly transfer power from the at least onepower unit to the at least one unmanned vehicle 100. For example, thewireless charging technology may include an inductive chargingtechnology, such as, e.g., Qi™, SAE J2954 compliant wireless charging,AirFuel Alliance compliant wireless charging, ISO 15118 compliantwireless charging, or any other wireless charging technology. In someembodiments, the power unit may include, e.g., a suitable inductive coilaccording to the inductive charging technology. The inductive coil maybe embedding in a surface of the at least one integrated roofingaccessory 11 such that when the at least one unmanned vehicle 100approaches or lands on the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11,power may be inductively transferred from the power unit to the at leastone unmanned vehicle 100.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory 11may include at least one landing member 22 on which the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 may land, e.g., for temporary or long-term storage,parcel or other item delivery, charging, et cetera. In some embodiments,the at least one landing member 22 may include a beam or pole extendingat a suitable angle from the at least one integrated roofing member. Forexample, the beam or pole may be vertical, horizontal, or at a suitableangle relative to vertical or horizontal. In some embodiments, the beamor pole may include a portion configured to mate with a portion of theat least one unmanned vehicle 100, such as an adapter or a shape to holdthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 while the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 is landed and stationary (e.g., deactivated).

In some embodiments, the at least one landing member 22 may include,e.g., a platform mounted to the at least integrated roofing accessory11. The platform may be mounted directly to the at least on integratedroofing accessory 11 and extending from a surface on the at least oneintegrated roofing accessory 11. However, in some embodiments, theplatform may be attached to the at least one integrated roofingaccessory 11 via a member or other connection.

In some embodiments, the at least one landing member 22 may include atleast one receptacle 25 mounted thereto. For example, the at least onereceptacle 25 may be integral with the at least one landing member 22 orfastened to the at least one landing member 22. In some embodiments, theat least one receptacle 25 may include, e.g., a box, a basket, a hook,or other structure suitable for receiving/accepting at least onedelivery item 110 carried by the at least one unmanned vehicle 100.

In some embodiments, the power unit may include a power delivery deviceon or in the at least one landing member 22. For example, the powerdelivery device may include a wire connector, such as, e.g., a poweroutlet, a universal serial bus (USB) connector, or other wired powerconnector that mates to a power connector of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 for a transfer of power to the at least one unmanned vehicle100. For example, the at least one embedded battery and/or the at leastone inductive coil may be formed within the at least one landing member22, such that upon landing on the at least one landing member 22, the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100 may receive power delivered via the powerdelivery device.

In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessoryincludes at least one of: at least one computing device, at least onestorage component, or at least one memory component. In someembodiments, the at least one integrated roofing accessory is configuredto dynamically carry out prescribed functions. In some embodiments, theat least one integrated roofing accessory is configured to be controlledremotely by a network. In some embodiments, the at least one integratedroofing accessory is configured to be controlled remotely by a wiredconnection. In some embodiments, the at least one integrated roofingaccessory includes a base configuration. In some embodiments, the atleast one integrated roofing accessory can be expanded from the baseconfiguration.

Non-limiting examples of the at least one storage component or the leastone memory ROM; RAM; magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media;flash memory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms ofpropagated signals (e.g., carrier signals, infrared signals, digitalsignals, etc.), or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, a single integrated roofing accessory describedherein can be installed on a plurality of roofs, so as to create anintegrated roofing accessory network. In some embodiments, a pluralityof integrated roofing accessories described herein can be installed on asingle roof so as to create an integrated roofing accessory network. Insome embodiments, a plurality of integrated roofing accessoriesdescribed herein can be installed on a plurality of roofs so as tocreate an integrated roofing accessory network.

In some embodiments, a non-limiting method of using an integratedroofing accessory network described herein includes: providing aplurality of integrated roofing accessories as described herein;transmitting at least one electromagnetic signal from a first integratedroofing accessory; and receiving the at least one electromagnetic signalby a second integrated roofing accessory. In some embodiments, thesecond integrated roofing accessory further transmits the at least oneelectromagnetic signal to a third integrated roofing accessory, and soon. In some embodiments, the first integrated roofing accessory islocated on a first building, the second integrated roofing accessory islocated on a second building, the third integrated roofing accessory islocated on a third building, and so on.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessory described hereincan be incorporated into an integrated roofing system. In someembodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein may includea plurality of integrated roofing accessories on a single roof. In someembodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein may includea single integrated roofing accessory on a plurality of roofs. In someembodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein may includea plurality of integrated roofing accessories on a plurality of roofs.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein cancomprise at least one integrated roofing accessory described herein andat least one unmanned vehicle 100.

In some embodiments, the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 may includeat least one antenna. In some embodiments, the at least one antenna isconfigured to receive electromagnetic signals. In some embodiments, theat least one antenna is configured to transmit electromagnetic signals.In some embodiments, the at least one antenna is configured to transmitand receive electromagnetic signals. In some embodiments, theelectromagnetic signals are GPS signals.

In some embodiments, the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 is configuredto be charged by the at least one power unit of the integrated roofingaccessory described herein. In some embodiments, the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 may include at least one battery that is configuredto be charged by the at least one power unit described herein.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein cancomprise at least one platform. In some embodiments, such as when the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100 is a UAV, the at least one platform mayprovide a surface for the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 to dock. Insome embodiments, the at least one platform forms a part of at least oneintegrated roofing accessory of the integrated roofing system. In someembodiments, the at least one platform forms a surface of at least oneintegrated roofing accessory of the integrated roofing system. In someembodiments, the integrated roofing system may be configured to allowthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 to charge (e.g., by using the atleast one power unit described herein) while docking.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to extend at least one route of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 from 1 to 2500 miles longer than the at least one route ofthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofingsystem. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system describedherein is configured to extend at least one route of the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 from 1 to 2000 miles longer than the at least oneroute of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 without the integratedroofing system. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing systemdescribed herein is configured to extend at least one route of the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100 from 1 to 1500 miles longer than the atleast one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 without theintegrated roofing system. In some embodiments, the integrated roofingsystem described herein is configured to extend at least one route ofthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 from 1 to 1000 miles longer thanthe at least one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 withoutthe integrated roofing system. In some embodiments, the integratedroofing system described herein is configured to extend at least oneroute of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 from 1 to 500 mileslonger than the at least one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle100 without the integrated roofing system. In some embodiments, theintegrated roofing system described herein is configured to extend atleast one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 from 1 to 250miles longer than the at least one route of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 without the integrated roofing system. In some embodiments,the integrated roofing system described herein is configured to extendat least one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 from 1 to100 miles longer than the at least one route of the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofing system. In someembodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to extend at least one route of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 from 1 to 50 miles longer than the at least one route of theat least one unmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofing system.In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to extend at least one route of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 from 1 to 25 miles longer than the at least one route of theat least one unmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofing system.In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to extend at least one route of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 from 1 to 10 miles longer than the at least one route of theat least one unmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofing system.In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to extend at least one route of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 from 1 to 5 miles longer than the at least one route of theat least one unmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofing system.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to extend at least one route of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 from 5 to 2500 miles longer than the at least one route ofthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofingsystem. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system describedherein is configured to extend at least one route of the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 from 10 to 2500 miles longer than the at least oneroute of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 without the integratedroofing system. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing systemdescribed herein is configured to extend at least one route of the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100 from 25 to 2500 miles longer than the atleast one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 without theintegrated roofing system. In some embodiments, the integrated roofingsystem described herein is configured to extend at least one route ofthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 from 50 to 2500 miles longer thanthe at least one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 withoutthe integrated roofing system. In some embodiments, the integratedroofing system described herein is configured to extend at least oneroute of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 from 100 to 2500 mileslonger than the at least one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle100 without the integrated roofing system. In some embodiments, theintegrated roofing system described herein is configured to extend atleast one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 from 250 to2500 miles longer than the at least one route of the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofing system. In someembodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to extend at least one route of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 from 500 to 2500 miles longer than the at least one route ofthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofingsystem. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system describedherein is configured to extend at least one route of the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 from 1000 to 2500 miles longer than the at leastone route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 without theintegrated roofing system. In some embodiments, the integrated roofingsystem described herein is configured to extend at least one route ofthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 from 1500 to 2500 miles longerthan the at least one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100without the integrated roofing system. In some embodiments, theintegrated roofing system described herein is configured to extend atleast one route of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 from 2000 to2500 miles longer than the at least one route of the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 without the integrated roofing system.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to guide an unmanned vehicle 100 to a predetermined locationand deliver/transport at least one delivery item 110 to thepredetermined location (e.g., a house). In some embodiments, theintegrated roofing system described herein is configured to guide anunmanned vehicle 100 to land at the predetermined location. In someembodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to guide an unmanned vehicle 100 on at least one return routefrom the predetermined location to at least one delivery hub.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system described herein isconfigured to re-direct at least one route of an unmanned vehicle. Insome embodiments where the unmanned vehicle is a UAV, the integratedroofing system may re-direct the route of the UAV in midair, without aneed for the UAV to land.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system may provide anauxiliary navigation system for an unmanned vehicle. In one non-limitingexample, the integrated roofing system may provide an auxiliary GPS ifan on-board GPS of the unmanned vehicle fails. In another non-limitingexample, the integrated roofing system may, based on access to localweather conditions, navigate the unmanned vehicle through inclementweather (e.g., rain, wind, sleet, snow, hurricanes, tornadoes,wildfires, earthquakes, the like, or any combination thereof). In someembodiments, an unmanned vehicle may require a remote manned operator.In such, embodiments, the auxiliary navigation system may provide backupfor the unmanned vehicle in the event the remote manned operator isunavailable.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system may notify at leastone user that the unmanned vehicle is arriving at the predeterminedlocation.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system may notify at leastone user that the unmanned vehicle is departing from the predeterminedlocation.

In some embodiments the integrated roofing system may notify at leastone user that the unmanned vehicle is approaching the predeterminedlocation. In some embodiments, whether the unmanned vehicle isapproaching the predetermined location is determined by whether theunmanned vehicle is at a distance that is less than or equal to athreshold distance from the predetermined location. In some embodiments,the threshold distance is 1 to 10,000 feet. In some embodiments, thethreshold distance is 10 to 10,000 feet. In some embodiments, thethreshold distance is 50 to 10,000 feet. In some embodiments, thethreshold distance is 100 to 10,000 feet. In some embodiments, thethreshold distance is 1000 to 10,000 feet. In some embodiments, thethreshold distance is 5000 to 10,000 feet. In some embodiments, thethreshold distance is 1 to 5000 feet. In some embodiments, the thresholddistance is 1 to 5000 feet. In some embodiments, the threshold distanceis 1 to 1000 feet. In some embodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to500 feet. In some embodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to 100 feet.In some embodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to 10 feet.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system is configured tonotify at least one user that the unmanned vehicle has cleared a roof ofthe predetermined location. In some embodiments, whether the unmannedvehicle has cleared the roof of the predetermined location is determinedby whether the unmanned vehicle is at a that is greater than or equal toa threshold distance from the roof of predetermined location. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to 10,000 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 10 to 10,000 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 50 to 10,000 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 100 to 10,000 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 1000 to 10,000 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 5000 to 10,000 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to 5000 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to 5000 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to 1000 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to 500 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to 100 feet. In someembodiments, the threshold distance is 1 to 10 feet.

In some embodiments where the unmanned vehicle is a UAV, the thresholddistance used to determine whether the unmanned vehicle has cleared theroof of the predetermined location may be a threshold altitude.

In some embodiments where the integrated roofing system is on aresidential roof, the at least one user may include at least one of: ahomeowner, a landlord, a tenant, or any combination thereof. In someembodiments where the integrated roofing system is on a commercial roof,the at least one user may include at least one of property manager, acommercial tenant, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, theat least one user may include an operator of a parcel delivery service.In some embodiments, the at least one user may include a recipient of aparcel from any parcel delivery service described herein.

In some embodiments the at least one user may be notified through ShortMessage Service (SMS). In some embodiments, the at least one user may benotified through Multimedia Message Service (MMS). In some embodiments,the at least one user may be notified through instant message. In someembodiments, the at least one user may be notified through email. Insome embodiments the at least one user may be notified through at leastone home automation system (i.e., at least one “smart home”).

In some embodiments the integrated roofing system may include adiagnostic and repair station for the at least one unmanned vehicle 100.In some embodiments, the integrated roofing system can supply remotestorage for cargo of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100. In someembodiments, the integrated roofing system is configured to securepayload of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100.

FIG. 3A depicts a networking model incorporating an integrated roofingaccessory 11 according to aspects of embodiments of the presentdescription.

In some embodiments, the unmanned vehicle navigation network may beconfigured to utilize Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model,utilizing a framework of standards for communication between differentsystems manufactured by different vendors, to communicate betweenintegrating roofing accessories and other devices and/or systems (e.g.,wireless carrier network, home network, etc.). The OSI model creates anopen systems networking environment where any vendor's computer system,connected to any network, freely shares data with any other computersystem on that network, or on a linked network.

Typically, the OSI model organizes the communication process into sevendifferent layers of interrelated protocols in a layered sequence. Layers1 through 3 define network access protocols and Layers 4 through 7 dealwith end-to-end communication protocols between a message source and amessage destination. Each layer includes at least one function that iswithin an upper and a lower logical boundary. The services of each layerare combined with the services of lower layers to create new servicesthat are made available to the higher layers. The layers include:

-   -   a. Layer 1 is a physical layer that responsible for the        transmission and reception of unstructured raw data between a        device and a physical transmission medium, including converting        the digital bits into electrical, radio, or optical signals,        with layer specifications defining characteristics such as        voltage levels, the timing of voltage changes, physical data        rates, maximum transmission distances, modulation scheme,        channel access method and physical connectors;    -   b. Layer 2 is a data link layer that provides node-to-node data        transfer via a link between two directly connected nodes,        including detecting detects, and possibly correcting, errors        that may occur in the physical layer, with definitions of the        protocol to establish and terminate a connection between two        physically connected devices, and the protocol for flow control        between them;    -   c. Layer 3 is a network layer that provides the functional and        procedural means of transferring variable length data sequences        (called packets) from one node to another connected in        “different networks” for routing and switching functions;    -   d. Layer 4 is a transport layer utilizing layers 1 to 3 to        provide an end-to-end service having required characteristics        for the higher layer functions, including the functional and        procedural means of transferring variable-length data sequences        from a source to a destination host, while maintaining the        quality of service functions;    -   e. Layer 5 is a session layer that controls the dialogues        (connections) between computers to provide the means to        establish a session connection and to support an orderly        exchange of data and related control functions for a particular        communication service;    -   f Layer 6 is a presentation layer that provides means for data        formatting and code conversion to map the syntax and semantics        to communication between application layer entities; and    -   g. Layer 7 is an application layer that interacts with software        applications that implement a communicating component, the        protocols of which provide the actual service sought by an end        user.

In some embodiments, the set-up of the exemplary unmanned vehiclenavigation network in accordance with present disclosure may includesoftware modules or combination software and hardware modules formingsoftware-defined radio (SDR) 31 that include software that executes andassembles OSI layers 3-7 and transmission hardware (e.g., antennae 313and transceivers 312) that execute OSI layers 1-2, or combinations ofsoftware and hardware.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 11 may includehardware-based radio modules for interfacing with an unmanned vehiclenavigation network. The radio modules may include circuitry for each of,e.g., amplifying, filtering, mixing, attenuating, etc. However, in someembodiments, the integrated roofing accessories employ SDR 31 modules.An SDR 31 module can be formed from hardware including a general-purposeprocessing device with software-based virtual signal processingcomponents for amplifying, filtering, mixing, attenuating, etc. toproduce the SDR 31 through virtual means.

In some embodiments, a basic SDR 31 module may include a processingdevice (e.g., CPU or GPU) equipped with an analog-to-digital converter,preceded by some form of RF front end. In some embodiments, the RF frontend includes antennae 313 (e.g., one or more dielectric antennae orother suitable antenna types) and a transceiver 312. Significant amountsof signal processing are handed over to the general-purpose processor,rather than being done in special-purpose hardware (electroniccircuits). Such a design produces a radio which can receive and transmitwidely different radio protocols based solely on the software used.

In some embodiments, Layer 1 of a software defined network 30 accordingto the OSI model layers can include the physical components of theintegrated roofing accessories 11 and respective SDR 31 modules. In someembodiments, such physical components may include, e.g., one or moreantennae 313. Each integrated roofing accessory 11 on each building mayinclude physical antennae 314-316 to form a network 35 of integratedroofing accessories 11 installed as roofing accessories throughout anarea.

As described above, to improve signal density and signal number, as wellas maximize the number of concurrent connections, the antennae 313 mayinclude antenna elements positioned on a roof of a structure, such ashouse or building. In some embodiments, the antenna elements may beconfigured for unmanned vehicle navigation signaling via, e.g., asuitable signaling technology, e.g., 5G cellular, 4G, cellular, 3Gcellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, Ultra-Wide Band, or other connectivitytechnology and combinations thereof.

In particular, in some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories11 may employ Layer 1, or physical, components including antennae 313 toprovide an uplink and downlink signal transmission method for randomaccess, channel measurement, and terminal feedback including unlicensed,licensed shared and extremely high frequency (EHF) bands, as well as anyother functionalities over suitable frequency bands.

In some embodiments, to decrease propagation loss of the radio waves andincrease the transmission distance, the beamforming, massivemultiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO),array antenna, an analog or digital beam forming, or other signalpropagation enhancements, and combinations thereof. Accordingly, theintegrated roofing accessories 11 may include antennae 313 thatincorporate such MIMO, FD-MIMO, array, beamforming and othertechnologies for improved unmanned vehicle signal propagation.

In some embodiments, such integrated roofing accessories 11 employphysical antennae 313 to facilitate development of advanced small cells,cloud radio access networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks,device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, moving network,cooperative communication, coordinated multi-points (CoMP),reception-end interference cancellation and the like. In a networkingsystem, such as one formed by the network 35 of the integrated roofingaccessories 11 (and, optionally, additional network-enabled devices andsystems), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), hybridfrequency shift keying (FSK), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)(FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) may be employedindividually or in combination as advanced coding modulation (ACM). Insome embodiments, filter bank multi carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonalmultiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as anadvanced access technology may be incorporated instead or in addition.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the antennae 313 may includemulti-element antenna arrays, which may comprise very small elements,with sizes on the scale of integrated-circuit (IC) chip elements. Use ofthese multi-element antenna arrays may provide large antenna gain andsufficient power output through over-the-air power combining. Thiscombination of large bandwidths and device architectures may allowantennae 313 to provide peak rates on the order of 10 Gbps and toprovide ample capacity to meet the future demands.

However, in some embodiments, the unmanned vehicle navigation signalsmay experience power loss due to attenuation of radio waves, limitingthe transmission distance. Thus, in some embodiments, beamforming may beemployed to overcome the limitation of short transmission distance. Withbeamforming, transmission power can be concentrated in a specificdirection according to the configuration of a transmitting antennae 313.When receiving, the antennae 313 may also enhance performance in aspecific direction with beamforming. Beamforming (or spatial filtering)is a signal processing technique used in sensor arrays for directionalsignal transmission or reception. This is achieved by combining elementsin an antenna array in such a way that signals at particular anglesexperience constructive interference while others experience destructiveinterference. Beamforming can be used at both the transmitting andreceiving ends in order to achieve spatial selectivity

In some embodiments, the antenna elements of the antennae 313 may becontrollable for MIMO signaling. In radio, multiple-input andmultiple-output, or MIMO, is a method for multiplying the capacity of aradio link using multiple transmission and receiving antennas to exploitmultipath propagation. The MIMO is a space-time signal processing wherea natural dimensional of transmitting data is complemented with aspatial dimension inherent in the use of multiple spatially distributedantennas. MIMO is able to turn multipath propagations into a benefitbecause signals on the transmit antennas at one end and the receiverantennas at the other end are integrated such that a quality of biterror rate (BER) or a data rate of the communication for each wirelessuser or a transmitting distance is improved, thereby increasing acommunication network's quality of service.

A MIMO channel contains many individual radio links, hence it has Nt×NrSISO (Single-Input Single-Output) channels (also called sub-channels),where Nt refers to a number of transmit channels, and Nr refers to anumber of receive channels. For example, a 2×2 MIMO arrangement contains4 links and hence 4 SISO channels. The SISO channels can be combined invarious ways to transmit one or more data streams to the receiver. Thus,the antenna elements may be separate, individually controllable antennae313, or sub-elements of a single antennae 313, or a combination thereof,that together may communicate data. In some embodiments, the antennae313 may include MIMO signaling capabilities include, e.g., 2×2, 4×4,6×6, 8×8 or more SISO channels. For example, the antennae 313 mayinclude, e.g., phased array antennae for MIMO and microwave signalgeneration, including, loop and/or patch antenna elements integratedinto a printed circuit board (PCB) and embedded in the integratedroofing accessory 11. One embodiment the antenna package may ahigh-density interconnected (HDI) FR-4 printed circuit board (PCB)substrate, or other suitable antenna array having a size to fit withinthe integrated roofing accessory 11 described above.

In some embodiments, the antennae 313 may be configured to emit unmannedvehicle navigation signals via, e.g., 5G, 4G, Long-Term Evolution (LTE),or 4G, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced DataRates for Global Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Evolved HSPA (HSPA+),Carrier Division Multiple Aggregation (CDMA) frequencies. For example,4G frequencies may have better range and penetration for reduced signalblockage and dissipation, thus improving long range stability, while 5Gtechnologies, such as millimeter wave (mmWave), may have high bandwidthbut reduced range. Alternatively, or in addition, the antennae 313 maybe configured to communicate via relatively shorter range WiFi orBluetooth frequencies, or any other suitable networking communicationtechnology (e.g., Z-Wave, ZigBee, Ultra-Wide Band, et cetera).

In some embodiments, the antennae 313 may be positioned in a location toprovide the best line-of-sight to both other antennae 314 through 316 aswell as other computing devices. Both height and orientation may play ina role in providing line-of-sight to other devices, with a high locationfacilitating raising the antennae 313 above potential obstructions.Accordingly, as described above, installation as a roofing accessory onresidential or commercial roof may provide positioning for facilitatingmesh networking with additional antennae 314 through 316 as well asunmanned vehicle navigation signaling for data transmission to and fromthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100.

In some embodiment, the antennae 313 may require power to operate, andsometime significant amount of power. Indeed, greater power supply mayimprove signal propagation, or distance with which a signal may maintainthroughput and stability. Installation as a roofing accessoryfacilitates providing roof-mounted photovoltaic panels or mains power,e.g., via a ridge vent or other similar access structure.

In some embodiments, Layer 2 components in a module of the SDR 31 andsoftware defined network 30 can include data link components such as,e.g., a receiver, transmitter, transceiver 312 or combination thereof.In some embodiments, the transceiver 312 may be included in theelectronic devices of the integrated roofing accessory 11 to control theantennae 313 for frequency control and modulation of emitted signals.Such a transceiver 312 may be selected or configured to balancecomplexity of signals and density or number of concurrent connections orchannels with computational complexity, heat and size. In someembodiments, these factors may be balanced to achieve an optimal balancethat maximizes signal complexity and number of concurrent connectionswhile maintaining a size and heat output that is sustainable within anintegrated roofing accessory 11.

Similarly, cost and circuit complexity/heat output may be balancedagainst power supply and amplitude of the antennae 313. As more power issupplied, the transceiver 312 may generate more heat and consume moreenergy, but signal propagation may be extended. Additionally, a higherquality, more sensitive and complex transceiver 312 may improvesignal-to-noise ratios for better signal stability and datatransmission.

In some embodiments, the transceiver 312 plays an active role in the SDR31 by effectuating at least four sub-layers to the OSI Model Layer 2,including, e.g., Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet DataConvergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control, Medium Access Control,among others.

The medium access control (MAC) sublayer is the layer that controls thehardware responsible for interaction with the wired, optical or wirelesstransmission medium. The MAC sublayer and the logical link control (LLC)sublayer together make up the data link layer. Within the data linklayer, the LLC provides flow control and multiplexing for the logicallink (i.e. EtherType, 802.1Q VLAN tag etc.), while the MAC provides flowcontrol and multiplexing for the transmission medium.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the transceiver 312 controls theantennae 313 for efficient transmission via, e.g., beamforming and MIMOfunctionality as described above. A beamforming protocol, such as thatdefined as part of the proposed IEEE 802.11 ad/WiGig standard, may beused to find a path between a cooperating pair of transmitter andreceiver antennas.

In some embodiments, the transceiver 312 may include a selection fromtransceivers and/or modems integrated or embedded in integrated circuitor system-on-chip design. For example, a modem, such as a QualcommSnapdragon™ modem, Analog Devices Inc. modem, or other suitable modemand transceiver solutions suitable to be integrated into an integratedroofing accessory 11 for an SDR 31.

In some embodiments, the antennae 313 and 312 may be packaged in, e.g.,an embedded solution, such as a system-on-chip architecture, howeverother integrate circuit packaging methodologies may be employed topackage the antennae 313 and transceiver 312 under the cover 18 in acomputing module 20 as the first electronic device and/or the at leastone second electronic device 21. In some embodiments, the antennae 313are separate from the transceiver 312 and in electronic communicationwith each via, e.g., copper wiring, or other wiring solution, or via astandardized data interface such as, e.g., PCIe, SATA, NVME, USB,ethernet, Registered Jack (e.g., RJ11), or other data communicationinterface, such as the wiring 22.

In some embodiments, as a separate electronic device or integrated intothe system-on-chip of the transceiver 312, the SDR 31 may optionallyinclude a virtual firewall (vFirewall) 311. In some embodiments, thevFirewall 311 may regulate data communication between the transceiver312 and the software defined network 30 to prevent untrusted orunauthorized data, files, programs, scripts and other information fromharming the software defined network 30 and software and hardwarecomponents therein.

In some embodiments, the vFirewall 311 may include a network firewallservice or appliance running entirely within a virtualized environmentand which provides the usual packet filtering and monitoring providedvia a physical network firewall. The vFirewall 311 can be realized as atraditional software firewall on a guest virtual machine alreadyrunning, a purpose-built virtual security appliance designed withvirtual network security in mind, a virtual switch with additionalsecurity capabilities, or a managed kernel process running within thehost hypervisor.

In some embodiments, the vFirewall 311 may operate in different modes toprovide security services, depending on the point of deployment. Forexample, the vFirewall 311 may operate in either bridge-mode orhypervisor-mode. Both may include a virtual security appliance and mayinstall a virtual machine for management purposes.

A virtual firewall operating in bridge-mode acts like its physical-worldfirewall analog; it sits in a strategic part of the networkinfrastructure—usually at an inter-network virtual switch or bridge—andintercepts network traffic destined for other network segments andneeding to travel over the bridge. By examining the source origin, thedestination, the type of packet it is and even the payload the VF candecide if the packet is to be allowed passage, dropped, rejected, orforwarded or mirrored to some other device. Initial entrants into thevirtual firewall field were largely bridge-mode, and many offers retainthis feature.

By contrast, a virtual firewall operating in hypervisor-mode is notactually part of the virtual network at all, and as such has nophysical-world device analog. A hypervisor-mode virtual firewall residesin the virtual machine monitor or hypervisor where it is well positionedto capture VM activity including packet injections. The entire monitoredVM and all its virtual hardware, software, services, memory and storagecan be examined, as can changes in these. Further, since ahypervisor-based virtual firewall is not part of the network proper andis not a virtual machine its functionality cannot be monitored in turnor altered by users and software limited to running under a VM or havingaccess only to the virtualized network.

In some embodiments, because the vFirewall 311 is positioned in the SDR31 at the intersection between the software defined network 30 and otherantennae 314 through 316 of a mesh unmanned vehicle navigation network,the vFirewall 311 may be configured to operate in bridge mode.

In some embodiments, as an SDR 31, the transceiver 312 and vFirewall 311may be implemented as software components within a general-purposeprocessing device, such as, e.g., a CPU (e.g., an x86, x64, ARM, RISC-V,PowerPC, MIPS, SPARC, or other CISC or RISC processors), GPU, neuralprocessing unit (NPU), FPGA, microprocessor, or other processing deviceor combinations thereof. In some embodiments, different functions of thetransceiver 312 and vFirewall 311 may be configured to be implementedwith separate processing components of processor package includingmultiple processing devices, processing or compute cores, orcombinations thereof. For example, the processor package may include,e.g., one or more CPU cores, one or more GPU cores, one or more NPUcores, a digital-to-analog (DAC) converter, an analog-to-digitalconverter (ADC), a modem including radio-frequency receiver, transmitterand/or transceiver, cache, on chip storage, RAM, as well as datainterfaces to interface with one or more additional processor devices,components or packages as well as to interface with the antennae 313 viathe transceiver 312.

In some embodiments, the processing components of the SDR 31 mayadditionally be configured to integrate the SDR 31 into one or morenetworks, including the software defined network 30 and the network 35such as a mesh unmanned vehicle navigation network incorporatingadditional antennae 314 through 316 from additional integrated roofingaccessories 11 and the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 or any othercomputing device, as well as any other suitable network. Accordingly,the SDR 31 may cooperate with, e.g., the software defined network 30 toimplement networking and communication protocol layers of the OSI Model.For example, such layers may include Layer 3 for networking, Layer 4 fortransport and Layer 5 for session control and configuration. Such layersfacilitated the SDR 31 to communicate with other antennae 314 through316 even where the other antennae 314 through 316 are manufactured andprogrammed by different entities or using different software andfirmware.

In some embodiments, the software defined network 30 implements layers 3through 5 to establish a platform or standard network to integrate theSDR 31 into compute and communication resources. In some embodiments,the software defined network 30 implements the Layers 3 through Layer 5to operate as a control layer for all communication between sub-systemsor electronics modules of the software defined network 30 (including,e.g., the SDR 31 module), multi-access edge computing 32, distributeddata components 33, consumer access radio 34 (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth,Zigbee, Z-Wave, 4G/LTE, 5G (lite), 3G, etc.), among other sub-systemsand electronics modules of the integrated roofing accessory 11 anddevices in communication therewith.

In some embodiments, the software defined network 30 may integrate thesub-systems and electronics modules into a single system by defining thedata traffic within the software defined network 30, e.g., usingsoftware-defined common resource management (SD-CRM). The SD-CRM can beused for networking functions and application/service functions. Thus,the SD-CRM can manage transport functions for layers zero through fouras well as application functions for layers four and higher. The SD-CRMcan provide a platform for network services, network control of serviceinstantiation and management, as well as a programmable environment forresource and traffic management. The SD-CRM also can provide aconsolidated network management interface to permit the combination ofreal time data from the service and network elements with real-time ornear real-time control of the forwarding plane. Thus, embodiments of theconcepts and technologies described herein can enable near real-timeconfiguration and real-time flow setup, programmability through serviceand network script-like logic, extensibility for competitivedifferentiation, standard interfaces, and multi-vendor support, amongother features. Interactions between these layers can be based uponpolicies to determine optimum configuration and rapid adaptation of thenetwork to changing state and changing customer requirements forexample, spikes in traffic, network outages (e.g., due to snow storms,blackouts, natural disasters, or the like), adding new services (e.g.,VoIP/web RTC, authentication, etc.), maintenance, combinations thereof,or the like.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the SD-CRM may define whatcommunication will run over each SDR 31 module on the software definednetwork 30 (e.g., the SDR 31, the customer access radio 34, amongothers). In some embodiments, the software defined network 30 may extendto additional integrated roofing accessories 11 to incorporate the SDRstherein into a common software defined network 30. As a result, theSD-CRM may control traffic between the various SDRs 31 of the variousintegrated roofing accessories 11 to form a distributed computingenvironment for control of multiple SDR 31 modules to cooperate within acohesive unmanned vehicle navigation network. Thus, multiple integratedroofing accessories 11 may be combined to create a larger antennastructure, facilitating modular functionality. In some embodiments, oncean unmanned vehicle navigation network is created, the SD-CRM definesthe traffic that traverses it.

In some embodiments, the SD-CRM of the software defined network 30 maybe implemented with, e.g., a network switch 300 as shown in FIG. 3B. Insome embodiments, the network switch 300 may be configured to manage asoftware defined network 30 according to a network protocol, such as,e.g., the OpenFlow protocol, Accordingly, the network switch 300 may bea software defined (e.g., logical) switch protocol defined by one ormore controllers 305. In some embodiments, however, the switch 300 maybe a hardware switch or embodied in a specialized hardware device, suchas, e.g., a single or multiport Ethernet switch (e.g., a Zodiac FX™ orother similar Ethernet switch), or other network switch device ordevices.

In some embodiments, the network switch 300 may include one or more flowtables 302 and group tables 303, which perform packet lookups andforwarding, and one or more channels 304 to the external controller orcontrollers 305. The switch 300 communicates with the controllers 305and the controllers 305 manage the switch 300 via the switch protocolby, e.g., adding, updating and deleting flow entries in flow tables 302.

In some embodiments, the switch 300 includes multiple flow tables 303.Thus, upon receiving packets of network traffic via one or more of theports 301, the packets are compared in to entries in each flow table 302starting with the first flow table and may continue to additional flowtables of the pipeline. The packet may first start in a table 0 andcheck those entries based on priority. Highest priority will match first(e.g. 200, then 100, then 1). If the flow needs to continue to anothertable, the packet may be advanced to the table specified in theinstructions until a match is found, and the corresponding instructionsare executed.

In some embodiments, the ports 301 may include physical and/or logicalports. Examples of hardware ports may include, e.g., ethernetinterfaces, while logical ports may include, e.g., LGs, tunnels,loopbacks and other logical interfaces.

Referring again to FIG. 3A, the software defined network 30 may includethe incorporation of data storage and compute resources. For example, amulti-access edge computing (MEC) 32 system may be employed in eachintegrated roofing accessory 11 or in communication with each integratedroofing accessory 11 as part of the software defined network 30. In someembodiments, the MEC 32 may include a CPU 321, a memory 322, anon-transitory storage device 323 among other processing devices andcomponents (e.g., GPUs, NPUs, codecs, DAC, ADC, etc.). In someembodiments, the MEC 32 is integrated onto the same board or PCB as theSDR 31 module such that, e.g., compute, memory and/or storage resourcesare shared. However, in some embodiments, the MEC 32 may be a separateset of processing resources relative to the SDR 31 module.

In some embodiments, the MEC 32 may control the software defined network30, including, e.g., implementing Layer 3 through Layer 5, and/or Layers6 and 7 for data presentation and application functionality,respectively. For example, the MEC 32 may provide a user applicationfunctionality to administer network protocols, security policies, flowtables, group tables, among other software administrationfunctionalities pertaining to the implementation of Layer 1 throughLayer 5 described above. Accordingly, the MEC 32 is effectively thecontrol module for the software defined network 30 implemented by one ormore integrated roofing accessories 11 with user definable policies via,e.g., suitable user interfaces and network messaging protocols. Suchuser interfaces may provide the user with administrative functionalityto control the software defined network 30 and components therein, aswell as to collect and locally store data and service metrics relativeto the operation of the components and the software defined network 30.Thus, the MEC 32 may include a suitable processing package including theCPU 321, memory 322 and non-transitory storage device 323 for generatingand providing to a user the user interface in a network managementconsole. Such processing package may include, e.g., PCB mounted CPU 321,memory 322 and non-transitory storage device 323 and/or asystem-on-chip, and/or other suitable processing package. For example,the MEC 32 may include, e.g., a Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Nvidia TX2, orother configurable processing package.

In some embodiments, multiple integrated roofing accessories 11 withrespective antennae 313 through 316 may be networked together usingunmanned vehicle navigation signals to create a broader software definednetwork 30. Such a broader network may be leveraged to implement adistributed datacenter 33 across the integrated roofing accessories 11on the network. Accordingly, the software defined network 30 may beconfigured to share storage 331 and compute 332 resources fordistributed processing and storage of user data, e.g., received via thecustomer access radio 34 and shared across integrated roofingaccessories 11 via antennae 313 through 316. Such a distributeddatacenter 33 may be employed for, e.g., cloud storage, media and datastreaming, content distribution (e.g., as a content distribution network(CDN)), among other distributed applications.

In some embodiments, a user may interface directly with the softwaredefined network 30 via a connection using the unmanned vehiclenavigation network, or via the customer access radio 34 via a customeraccess radio enabled device. In some embodiments, the customer accessradio 34 includes, e.g., a WiFi radio 342. The customer access radioenabled device may include any computing device having hardware and/orsoftware for communicating with the WiFi radio 342. Accordingly, theintegrated roofing accessory 11 using the software defined network 30may include both cellular connectivity as well as WiFi connectivity orother customer access wireless protocol connectivity, for example, forin-home WiFi using the same integrated roofing accessory 11 thatprovides cellular carrier or internet-service-provider (ISP)connectivity. In some embodiments, similar to the SDR 31, the customeraccess radio 34 may include a vFirewall 341 to enhanced security of thesoftware defined network 30.

In some embodiments, the storage 331 may be implemented with suitablestorage components such as, e.g., a series for solid state drives (SSD)or M.2 storage drives. M.2 drives are a newer, smaller, and fastervariant of an SSD. The storage 331 subsystem may be configured in aRedundant Array of Independent Drives (RAID) variant (5 or 10) or as aHadoop Distributed Files System (HDFS). Either system provides a levelof data security and fault tolerance. HDFS has an advantage with errorchecking and the ability to assign multiple namenodes. Namenodes aresimply indexes to where the data resides. Data Nodes can be configuredto store multiple copies of the data across several drives. Namenodesmanage data on the data nodes by sector—more granular and removes theneed to remove an entire drive from the system like a RAID array.Depending on the RAID level it allows for one or two drive failures andstill have the system function normally. However, an additional drivefailure would cause catastrophic data loss. So, to prevent data loss,drives will need to be continually replaced.

In comparison, HDFS allows for sector level management per drive. UsingHDFS, multiple drives failures does not cause catastrophic failure/dataloss. HDFS storage management concern may be on the overall capacity ofthe system and namenode versus physical drive failure. Therefore, anHDFS managed storage solution may reduce the time and effort required tosupport an integrated roofing accessory 11 platform.

In some embodiments, complimentary to datacenter 33 storage 331 iscompute 332. Compute 332 allows applications and services to be writtenand operate within a distributed space. Like a typical datacenter orcloud infrastructure, compute 332 may enable services to be deployedacross a distributed network. Unlike primary cloud networks, thedistributed datacenter 33 of the integrated roofing accessories 11 maynot have defined services or applications. Rather, the distributeddatacenter 33 may employ compute 332 to have a hypervisor-like serviceto manage and deploy infrastructure for the user. In some embodiments,each integrated roofing accessory 11 may be a network of dense singleboard computers (SBC) with multiple cores or embedded servers.Advantageously, such compute 332 solutions may be resilient to extremeenvironmental conditions, such as, e.g., high temperatures, lowtemperatures, moisture and humidity, vibrations, shock, among otherenvironmental conditions. An example of a possible SBC or embeddedserver may include, e.g., a Grizzly VL-ESU-5070, or other suitabledevice.

In some embodiments, to support data science workloads, pipelines andmodels GPU may be deployed within the integrated roofing accessory 11 inthe software defined network 30 in much the same manner as the CPU. Anexample SBC that supports high density GPU may include, e.g., NvidiaJetson Nano or other suitable device.

In some embodiments, the software defined network 30 within and acrossintegrated roofing accessories 11 may be included with a power source.In some embodiments, low-power devices may be employed, such as, e.g.,systems-on-chip similar to those used in smartphones and other mobiledevices. Accordingly, power may be provided via, e.g., on-boardbatteries, photovoltaic panel mounted to the same roof as the integratedroofing accessory 11 or as a cover 18 on the integrated roofingaccessory 11. However, in some embodiments, to achieve greater range andstability of the unmanned vehicle navigation signal, high powercomponents for a more powerful SDR 31 may be employed. Accordingly, insome embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 11 may be connecteddirectly to mains power via, e.g., an AC to DC (AC/DC) converter, or toa larger scale solar array installed on the roof or nearby, or both.

In some embodiments, various components and devices, including unmannedvehicle navigation network connected computing devices and theintegrated roofing accessories 11 may include or be incorporated,partially or entirely into at least one personal computer (PC), laptopcomputer, ultra-laptop computer, tablet, touch pad, portable computer,handheld computer, palmtop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA),cellular telephone, combination cellular telephone/PDA, television,smart device (e.g., smart phone, smart tablet or smart television),mobile device, messaging device, data communication device, and soforth.

As used herein, the term “mobile device,” or the like, may refer to anyportable electronic device that may or may not be enabled with locationtracking functionality (e.g., MAC address, Internet Protocol (IP)address, or the like). For example, a mobile electronic device caninclude, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), Blackberry™, Pager, Smartphone, smart watch, or anyother reasonable mobile electronic device.

Examples of hardware elements may include processors, microprocessors,circuits, circuit elements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors,inductors, and so forth), integrated circuits, ASIC, PLD, DSP, FPGA,logic gates, registers, semiconductor device, chips, microchips, chipsets, and so forth. In some embodiments, the one or more processors maybe implemented as a CISC or RISC processors; x86 instruction setcompatible processors, multi-core, or any other microprocessor or CPU.In various implementations, the one or more processors may be dual-coreprocessor(s), dual-core mobile processor(s), and so forth.

In some embodiments, the processing device may include any type of dataprocessing capacity, such as a hardware logic circuit, for example anASIC and a programmable logic, or such as a computing device, forexample, a microcomputer or microcontroller that include a programmablemicroprocessor. In some embodiments, the processing device may includedata-processing capacity provided by the microprocessor. In someembodiments, the microprocessor may include memory, processing,interface resources, controllers, and counters. In some embodiments, themicroprocessor may also include one or more programs stored in memory.

Examples of software may include software components, programs,applications, computer programs, application programs, system programs,machine programs, operating system software, middleware, firmware,software modules, routines, subroutines, functions, methods, procedures,software interfaces, application program interfaces (API), instructionsets, computing code, computer code, code segments, computer codesegments, words, values, symbols, or any combination thereof.Determining whether an embodiment is implemented using hardware elementsand/or software elements may vary in accordance with any number offactors, such as desired computational rate, power levels, heattolerances, processing cycle budget, input data rates, output datarates, memory resources, data bus speeds and other design or performanceconstraints.

In some embodiments, as detailed herein, one or more of exemplaryinventive computer-based systems/platforms, exemplary inventivecomputer-based devices, and/or exemplary inventive computer-basedcomponents of the present disclosure may obtain, manipulate, transfer,store, transform, generate, and/or output any digital object and/or dataunit (e.g., from inside and/or outside of a particular application) thatcan be in any suitable form such as, without limitation, a file, acontact, a task, an email, a tweet, a map, an entire application (e.g.,a calculator), etc. In some embodiments, as detailed herein, one or moreof exemplary inventive computer-based systems/platforms, exemplaryinventive computer-based devices, and/or exemplary inventivecomputer-based components of the present disclosure may be implementedacross one or more of various computer platforms such as, but notlimited to: (1) AmigaOS, AmigaOS 4; (2) FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD; (3)Linux; (4) Microsoft Windows; (5) OpenVMS; (6) OS X (Mac OS); (7) OS/2;(8) Solaris; (9) Tru64 UNIX; (10) VM; (11) Android; (12) Bada; (13)BlackBerry OS; (14) Firefox OS; (15) iOS; (16) Embedded Linux; (17) PalmOS; (18) Symbian; (19) Tizen; (20) WebOS; (21) Windows Mobile; (22)Windows Phone; (23) Adobe AIR; (24) Adobe Flash; (25) Adobe Shockwave;(26) Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW); (27) Cocoa (API);(28) Cocoa Touch; (29) Java Platforms; (30) JavaFX; (31) JavaFX Mobile;(32) Microsoft XNA; (33) Mono; (34) Mozilla Prism, XUL and XULRunner;(35) .NET Framework; (36) Silverlight; (37) Open Web Platform; (38)Oracle Database; (39) Qt; (40) SAP NetWeaver; (41) Smartface; (42) Vexi;and/or (43) Windows Runtime.

In some embodiments, devices and components of the integrated roofingaccessories 11 of the present disclosure may be configured to utilizehardwired circuitry that may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions to implement features consistent with principlesof the disclosure. Thus, implementations consistent with principles ofthe disclosure are not limited to any specific combination of hardwarecircuitry and software. For example, various embodiments may be embodiedin many different ways as a software component such as, withoutlimitation, a stand-alone software package, a combination of softwarepackages, or it may be a software package incorporated as a “tool” in alarger software product.

For example, exemplary software specifically programmed in accordancewith one or more principles of the present disclosure may bedownloadable from a network, for example, a website, as a stand-aloneproduct or as an add-in package for installation in an existing softwareapplication.

For example, exemplary software specifically programmed in accordancewith one or more principles of the present disclosure may also beavailable as a client-server software application, or as a web-enabledsoftware application. For example, exemplary software specificallyprogrammed in accordance with one or more principles of the presentdisclosure may also be embodied as a software package installed on ahardware device.

In some embodiments, various devices and components of the integratedroofing accessories 11, such as the MEC 32, may be configured to outputto distinct, specifically programmed graphical user interfaceimplementations of the present disclosure (e.g., a desktop, a web app.,etc.). In various implementations of the present disclosure, a finaloutput may be displayed on a displaying screen which may be, withoutlimitation, a screen of a computer, a screen of a mobile device, or thelike. In various implementations, the display may be a holographicdisplay. In various implementations, the display may be a transparentsurface that may receive a visual projection. Such projections mayconvey various forms of information, images, and/or objects. Forexample, such projections may be a visual overlay for a mobile augmentedreality (MAR) application.

FIG. 4A depicts an example unmanned vehicle navigation signal emittedfrom an antenna 431 of an integrated roofing accessory 11 in accordancewith aspects of embodiments of the present description.

In some embodiments, antennae may be directional in nature, as describedabove, due to factors such as beamforming and antenna shape.Accordingly, an antenna 431 may emit a signal 432 in a conical“field-of-view” (FOV) within which the angular beam steering range 433over which the antenna 431 can direct a beamformed signal 432. Thesignal 432 is formed as a beam and may be emitted in any directionwithin the limits of the FOV of the antenna. In some embodiments, theantenna 431 may have an FOV defined by the beam steering range 433, suchas, e.g., within an angle of incidence within 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 70degrees, or 80 degrees of a normal incidence relative to a surface ofthe antenna 431, or other similarly suitable angle of incidence. Thus,the beam steering range 433 may cover angles of incidence across variousranges of angles, e.g., 45-90, 45-120, 45-140, 45-160 or other suitablerange of angles of incidence of beamformed unmanned vehicle navigationsignals emitted from the antenna 431.

FIG. 4B depicts various integrated roofing accessory antenna placementsrelative to a roof of a structure in accordance with aspects ofembodiments of the present description.

As described above, effectiveness of signal coverage in a physical areais affected by the orientation and position of antennae due to thedirectional nature imposed by beamforming unmanned vehicle navigationsignals. Accordingly, integrated roofing accessories 11 and associatedantennae may be installed on a roof 43 as a roofing accessory in one ormore of various positions and orientations to best suit the environment.

In some embodiments, an integrated roofing accessory 11 may include acoplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a. The coplanar integratedroofing accessory 431 a is a roofing accessory shaped package (e.g.,having a planar shape) that is installed alongside traditional roofingaccessories or roofing material on the roof 43 of the structure 40. Forexample, the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a may have ashape matching the shingles of a residential home, thus forming ashingle for the roof, or integrated shingle. Thus, a top surface of thecoplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a may be coplanar with thesurrounding roofing material.

In some embodiments, the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a mayhave a thickness greater than the surrounding roofing material. In sucha case, the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a may be insertedinto a recess within the roof 43 such that a top surface of the coplanarintegrated roofing accessory 431 a is at a height above a top surface ofthe roof 43 that is coplanar with a top surface of the surroundingroofing material. However, in some embodiments, the coplanar integratedroofing accessory 431 a may be installed on the top surface of the roof43 such that the top surface of the coplanar integrated roofingaccessory 431 a rises to a height above the top surface of the roof 43that is above a height of the top surface of the surrounding roofingmaterial above the top surface of the roof 43.

In some embodiments, the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a mayhave the advantages of being roughly flush with the roof 43, providing adiscrete device that homeowners or building owners would find lessobjectionable, and thus be more likely to install. However, the angle ofa slope of the roof 43 direct a normal angle of incidence of an antennaof the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a upward. As a result,due to the beam steering range 433 of the coplanar integrated roofingaccessory 431 a being finite, the portion of the beam steering range 433that can project a beam formed signal towards a device on the ground isreduced, resulting in less area that may be covered by the coplanarintegrated roofing accessory 431 a. Indeed, where the roof ishorizontal, the beam steering range 433 may not extend even towardsother integrated roofing accessories because the normal incidence wouldbe directed vertically toward the sky.

Similarly, a ridge vent integrated roofing accessory 431 b or front orback face siding integrated roofing accessory 431 b may be employed thatcan be recessed into a surface of the structure 40 or mounted on thesurface of the structure 40 for low profile and discrete installation.However, similar to the coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a, thedirectional nature of the antenna results in reduced sightlines affordedby the beam steering range 433, and thus reduced coverage. The ridgevent integrated roofing accessory 431 b may have better coverage becauseit may be configured to have two antenna portions, with each portionaligning with the slopes of the roof 43 on each side of the ridge, thusmultiplying the beam steering range 433. However, each antenna portionnevertheless may have reduced lines of sight to the ground where devicesmay be located, thus reducing effective coverage in the area.

In some embodiments, to mitigate the coverage loss due to thedirectionally mounted coplanar integrated roofing accessory 431 a andthe ridge vent integrated roofing accessory 431 b, multiple roofingaccessories may be used on a single roof. In some embodiments,alternatively or in addition, to one or more coplanar integrated roofingaccessories 431 a and one or more ridge vent integrated roofingaccessories 431 b may be installed in the ridge vent of the roof 43.Thus, antennae from the various roofing accessories are angled inmultiple directions to provide overlapping beam steering ranges 433 forincreased coverage in an area around the roof 43.

Moreover, in some embodiments, the various roofing accessories can beintegrated into a mesh network or a common software defined network,such as the software defined network 30 described above. As a result,the roofing accessories can share compute and storage resources, andbehave as a cohesive system.

Additionally, or alternatively, each of the coplanar integrated roofingaccessories 431 a may include antennae only or software define radioonly, such as the antennae 313 and SDR 31 described above. Each coplanarintegrated roofing accessory 431 a may interface with a hub roofingaccessory in the ridge vent to centralize compute, storage, and useraccess radios in the ridge vent integrated roofing accessory 431 b.Accordingly, each integrated roofing accessory may represent a modularcomponent of an integrated roofing accessory 11 that may be separatelydetached and applied to various portions of the roof 43 to optimizecoverage, while a control module including the centralized resources maybe located in the ridge vent near access to power and infrastructurewithin the structure 40.

In some embodiments, regardless of the location, each integrated roofingaccessory, 431 a and 431 b, may be configured to access resources fromthe structure 40 via the ridge vent. For example, the roofingaccessories may include wiring or cabling to connect to mains power,roof mounted solar power, in-structure networking, a hardwire backhaulnetwork (e.g., fiber optic cabling), among other resources routedthrough the structure 40 via the ridge vent.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example mesh unmanned vehicle navigation networkusing integrated roofing accessories installed on roofs of residentialhomes according to aspects of embodiments of the present description.

In some embodiments, antenna placement in an area can affect unmannedvehicle navigation signal stability and strength because unmannedvehicle navigation signals may be dependent upon the distance and theclearest line of sight for the best possible communication. As such,roof placement for structure-to-structure and the placement on thestructure may affect the integrity and strength of the signal.

In some embodiments, each home 40 a, 40 b and 40 c is fitted with anintegrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c, respectively. Theintegrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c may provide at leasttwo forms of communication: mesh networking with information sharing bysignals between each integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c(denoted with dotted lines); and computing device communicationproviding unmanned vehicle navigation signals to a computing device,such as the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 (denoted with dashedlines).

In order to deliver reliable connectivity to a user in the presence ofobstacles, the mesh unmanned vehicle navigation network may include anaccess point network built with redundancies of antennae of theintegrated roofing accessories 31 a through 31 c. There may be enoughredundancy such that, in the event of LOS blocking, the networkconnection of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 can be rapidlyrerouted via another (e.g., from the integrated roofing accessory 31 ato integrated roofing accessories 31 b or 31 c). In such an access pointnetwork, or mesh unmanned vehicle navigation network, a cluster ofaccess points (e.g., integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31c) may be coordinated to provide uninterrupted connectivity to the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100. By using such a cluster of accesspoints, the network may overcome radio-link blockages due to obstacles.

In some embodiments, mesh networking, or the inter-home communication,supports network administration, maintenance and backhaul communicationto the network. In some embodiments, each structure or home 40 a, 40 band 40 c may maintain communication with as many structures as possiblein the event a structure goes away or there is a better path back to thenetwork. Thus, in some embodiments, data transmission from a computingdevice back to a backhaul infrastructure may be dynamically managedwithin the network of integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31c. For example, a primary data connect for the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 may be provided by home 40 b because the integrated roofingaccessories 31 b and 31 c with line-of-sight (LOS) to the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 may communicate with each other to determine thatintegrated roofing accessory 31 b has a stronger connection, and thusgreater signal strength and signal integrated, resulting in greaterspeeds, greater stability, and decreased error rates and drop-outs.

As described above, each computing device on the unmanned vehiclenavigation network (e.g., the at least one unmanned vehicle 100, asmartphone, a computer, a WiFi hotspot, among other devices) may beserved by a cluster of integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31c. In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b,and 31 c may be selected to be members of the cluster set of a computingdevice based on which integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31c are accessible by the device.

In some embodiments, each integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and31 c may be considered to be accessible if the device can receive abeacon waveform via the integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and 31c. For example, in some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories11 may be installed on top of buildings, such as each residential home40 a, 40 b and 40 c. As a result of shadowing loss characteristics, theradio link between the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 and servingaccess point, e.g., antenna of integrated roofing accessory 31 a,antenna of integrated roofing accessory 31 b and/or antenna ofintegrated roofing accessory 31 c, may be disrupted if the LOS betweenthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 and the access point is blocked byobstacles. For example, where the at least one unmanned vehicle 100passes close to another building with another antenna of integratedroofing accessory 31 a, the LOS may be broken by the roof 43 a, or theantenna of the integrated roofing accessory 31 a may not have theangular range to direct a beamformed signal to the location of the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100. Additionally, the distance of the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100 to any one of the antennae of integratedroofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, or 31 c may exceed the propagationdistance of the corresponding signals. The beacon waveform may be usedto determine whether the LOS and distance are sufficient for anyparticular one or more of the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 band 31 c to communicate unmanned vehicle navigation signals to the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100.

In some embodiments, among the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31b, and 31 c, one particular integrated roofing accessory (e.g.,integrated roofing accessory 31 b) can be selected as the servingintegrated roofing accessory 31 b for the device, e.g., the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 to prevent or minimize the blocking and otherdisruptions. In some embodiments, the at least one unmanned vehicle 100may select the serving integrate roofing accessory, and/or integratedroofing accessories 31 a, 31 b or 31 c in the mesh unmanned vehiclenavigation network may cooperatively identify the serving roofingaccessory based on the strength and stability of test signals using,e.g., the beacon waveform.

For example, to select the integrated roofing accessory to serve the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100 or other device, the beacon waveform maybe a broadcast beacon or a swept beam beacon, whose reception has asignal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) threshold above a certain threshold or abovethe beacon waveform of each other integrate roofing accessory 31 a, 31 band 31 c. Accessibility information of each integrated roofing accessory31 a, 31 b, and 31 c by the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 mayindicate the best, e.g., transmit and receive beam weights, the antennapolarization (e.g. horizontal, vertical or circular) and thecorresponding signal strengths. The transmit and receive antenna weightshaving the greatest signal strength and stability may determine theantenna directivity for a multi-element antenna array. The antennaweights can be implemented using either an analog, digital or hybridimplementation. Other implementations of directional antennas could alsobe supported by this description. For example, a dielectric lens antennacan focus electromagnetic energy through diffraction similar to how anoptical lens focuses light. The antenna directivity of a dielectric lensantenna is controlled by configuring the switching feed elements.

In some embodiments, each integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b and 31c may then collaborate to provide navigation instructions to the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100 via the antenna directivity and aselected integrated roofing accessory having the greatest signalstrength. In some embodiments, the mesh unmanned vehicle navigationnetwork may therefore facilitate navigation of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100.

In some embodiments, each integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and31 c may be associated with a particular location, such as a house orbuilding address, latitude-longitude location, or other geospatial orcartographic location. One or more of the integrated roofing accessories31 a, 31 b, and 31 c may communicate via the mesh unmanned vehiclenavigation network with the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 via theunmanned vehicle navigation signals. In some embodiments, the selectedintegrated roofing accessory may poll the at least one unmanned vehicle100 for a location of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 and adestination of the at least one unmanned vehicle 100, such as, e.g., adelivery location associated with the at least one delivery item 110.Based on the destination returned by the at least one unmanned vehicle100, the selected integrated roofing accessory may communicate over themesh unmanned vehicle navigation network (e.g., utilizing one or morenetwork messages) with each additional integrated roofing accessory ofthe integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b and 31 c to determinewhich of the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b and 31 c islocated or nearest to the destination. For example, the selectedintegrated roofing accessory may request a location associated with eachintegrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and 31 c, and compare eachlocation to the destination. Based on a distance of each location fromthe destination, the selected integrated roofing accessory may determinethe nearest one of the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and 31c to communicate with.

In some embodiments, the selected integrated roofing accessory may thentransmit electronic operating instructions to the at least one unmannedvehicle 100. In some embodiments, the electronic operating instructionsmay include navigation instructions, such as, e.g., dynamic headingadjustments according to a direction of travel of the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100 such that the selected integrated roofing accessorymay direct the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 to its destination. Insome embodiments, the electronic operating instructions may include atrail of latitude-longitude coordinates to follow, or a heading (e.g.,according to a compass).

In some embodiments, the selected integrated roofing accessory may becontinuously or periodically updated. Accordingly, beacon waveforms maybe regularly tested for each integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b,and 31 c to select the integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b, and 31 cwith the greatest signal strength. Upon a new integrated roofingaccessory being selected, the integrated roofing accessory 31 a, 31 b,and 31 c responsible for transmission of the electronic operatinginstructions to the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 may be switched tothe new integrated roofing accessory by being structed via one or morenetwork messages. However, to prevent unnecessary switching, the signalstrength may be compared against a threshold signal improvement measuresuch that the signal strength of the new integrated roofing accessory isgreater than, e.g., 5%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 20% or other percent improvementover the signal strength of the selected integrated roofing accessory.

In some embodiments, upon the location of the at least one unmannedvehicle 100 matching the destination, the electronic operatinginstructions may include at least one landing instruction instructingthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 to land at the destination. Uponlanding, the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 may deposit the at leastone delivery item 110 at the destination (e.g., in a receptacle 25, infront of an associated structure, on an at least one landing member 22,or at some other delivery point). In some embodiments, upon depositingthe at least one delivery item 110, the selected integrated roofingaccessory may send electronic operating instructions including at leastone take-off instruction instructing the at least one unmanned vehicle100 to take off.

In some embodiments, there are other reasons to instruct the at leastone unmanned vehicle 100 land, such as to charge, to avoid flying ininclement weather, for repair, or other suitable reasons. Accordingly,the selected integrated roofing accessory may provide the at least onlanding instruction upon detecting the reason, e.g., via a message fromthe at least one unmanned vehicle 100 (e.g., indicating a need to chargeor for repair), or from another service or another integrated roofingaccessory (e.g., upon inclement weather being detected). In suchscenarios, the at least on landing instruction may include a nearestintegrated roofing accessory to the location of the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100, and instructions to navigate to the nearestintegrated roofing accessory and land, e.g., on the landing membermounted thereon.

In some embodiments, the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b, and31 c may wait to provide electronic operating instructions to the atleast one unmanned vehicle 100 until requested by the at least oneunmanned vehicle 100. For example, in inclement weather, the at leastone unmanned vehicle 100 may lose connection with a global positioningsystem (GPS) and require navigation assistance. In some embodiments,upon the request, the selected integrated roofing accessory may providethe electronic operating instructions to navigate to the destination orto another landing spot.

In some embodiments, the beam synchronization may be maintained, e.g.,by selecting the best beams for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL)communication with each of the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31b, and 31 c as the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 moves physicallythrough the network. Based on signal characteristics, e.g., detected bythe integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b and 31 c or the at leastone unmanned vehicle 100, or both, the servicing integrate roofingaccessory may be maintained or changed as shadowing, blockage anddistance to the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 changes. For example,the serving roofing accessory may be tested for strength and integrityof signal each, e.g., 1 millisecond (ms), 10 ms, 100 ms, 250 ms, 500 ms,1 second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or other testing frequency.

In some embodiments, the maximize the area covered by unmanned vehiclenavigation signals from the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 band 31 c, the integrated roofing accessories 31 a, 31 b and 31 c may beinstalled onto the respective roofs 43 a, 43 b, and 43 c in an optimumroofing configuration, such as the configurations described above withreference to FIG. 5.

In some embodiments, the mesh network may support backhaul by, e.g.,forcing Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). BGP can support fast routeswitching of large networks. In addition, BGP may function as a routingbridge between wireless and wired networks. However, other suitablerouting protocols may be employed instead or in addition.

FIG. 6 depicts a diagram illustrative of embodiments of the presentdescription including a residential neighborhood. Based upon statisticsand sampling, roofing material is installed on one of three homes in theUnited States. The distribution may likely be more or less than 1 of 3.Generally, when roofing tracks are installed a contractor will choose abrand of roofing accessories for the roofing for most properties.

The circles on the homes represent the structures with the integratedroofing accessory 11. At the bottom of the diagram there are two sourcesof network access for the unmanned vehicle navigation network:Structure-A which is directly connected to fiber back to the network andthe other, a super cell that connects to Structures A and B via wirelessbackhaul.

For Structure-A, the primary backhauls, and network access may beprovided by the directly connected fiber. Secondary backhaul and networkaccess will be provided by the wireless supercell. The tertiary networkaccess for Structure-A will come from Structure-B which is wirelessconnected to the supercell.

Structures-A, B, and C and the other structures with circles representand participate in the unmanned vehicle navigation network. Each bluedot/structure will have multiple dynamic paths/connection to the networkand services, plus the internet.

At least one aspect of the present disclosure will now be described withreference to the following non-limiting embodiments.

E1: A device comprising:

-   -   at least one integrated roofing accessory,        -   wherein the at least one integrated roofing accessory            comprises:            -   at least one roofing accessory component; and            -   at least one antenna embedded within the at least one                roofing accessory component,                -   wherein the at least one antenna is configured to                    transmit global positioning system (GPS) signals to                    at least one unmanned vehicle 100;            -   at least one power unit embedded within the at least one                roofing accessory component;                -   wherein the at least one power unit is configured to                    charge the at least one unmanned vehicle 100.

E2: A system comprising:

-   -   at least one integrated roofing accessory,    -   wherein the at least one integrated roofing accessory comprises:        -   at least one roofing accessory component, and        -   at least one first antenna embedded within the at least one            roofing accessory component,    -   wherein the at least one first antenna is configured to transmit        global positioning system (GPS) signals;        -   at least one power unit embedded within the roofing            accessory component; and        -   at least one unmanned vehicle 100;            -   wherein the at least one unmanned vehicle 100 comprises:                -   at least one second antenna,                -    wherein the at least one second antenna is                    configured to receive the GPS signals transmitted by                    the at least one first antenna; and                -   a battery,                -    wherein the battery is configured to be charged by                    the at least one power unit.

At least some aspects of the present disclosure will now be describedwith reference to the following numbered clauses:

Clause 1. A system comprising:

-   -   an integrated roofing accessory that is integrated into a roof;        and        -   wherein the integrated roofing accessory comprises:            -   at least one antenna;            -   a computing module in communication with the at least                one antenna;                -   wherein the computing module comprises at least one                    processor and a non-transitory memory storage having                    software stored thereon;                -   wherein the computing module, when the software is                    executed by the at least one processor, is                    configured to transmit, via the at least one                    antenna:                -    i) electronic operating instructions to at least                    one unmanned vehicle, and                -    ii) network messages related to the at least one                    unmanned vehicle to at least one additional                    integrated roofing accessory on at least one                    additional roof;                -    wherein the at least one additional integrated                    roofing accessory is configured to transmit the                    electronic operating instructions to the at least                    one unmanned vehicle; and    -   a landing member that is positioned on the roof;        -   wherein the electronic operating instructions comprise:            -   i) at least one landing instruction configured to cause                the at least one unmanned vehicle to land on the landing                member, and            -   ii) at least one take-off instruction configured to                cause the at least one unmanned vehicle to take off from                the landing member.

Clause 2. A system comprising:

-   -   a plurality of integrated roofing accessories are integrated        into a plurality of roofs;        -   wherein each integrated roofing accessory of the plurality            of integrated roofing accessories comprises:            -   at least one antenna;            -   a computing module in communication with the at least                one antenna;                -   wherein the computing module comprises at least one                    processor and a non-transitory memory storage having                    software stored thereon;                -   wherein the computing module, when the software is                    executed by the at least one processor, is                    configured to transmit, via the at least one                    antenna:                -    i) electronic operating instructions to at least                    one unmanned vehicle, and                -    ii) network messages related to the at least one                    unmanned vehicle to each integrated roofing                    accessory;                -    wherein the plurality of integrated roofing                    accessories are configured to transmit the                    electronic operating instructions to the at least                    one unmanned vehicle;    -   a plurality of landing members that are positioned on the        plurality of roofs;        -   wherein the electronic operating instructions comprise:            -   i) at least one landing instruction configured to cause                the at least one unmanned vehicle to land on a                particular landing member of the plurality of landing                members, and            -   ii) at least one take-off instruction configured to                cause the at least one unmanned vehicle to take off from                the particular landing member.

Clause 3. A method comprising:

-   -   obtaining an integrated roofing accessory;        -   wherein the integrated roofing accessory comprises:            -   at least one antenna;            -   a computing module in communication with the at least                one antenna;                -   wherein the computing module comprises at least one                    processor and a non-transitory memory storage having                    software stored thereon;                -   wherein the computing module, when the software is                    executed by the at least one processor, is                    configured to transmit, via the at least one                    antenna:                -    i) electronic operating instructions to at least                    one unmanned vehicle, and                -    ii) network messages related to the at least one                    unmanned vehicle to at least one additional                    integrated roofing accessory on at least one                    additional roof;                -    wherein the at least one additional integrated                    roofing accessory is configured to transmit the                    electronic operating instructions to the at least                    one unmanned vehicle;    -   mounting the integrated roofing accessory on a roof;    -   obtaining a landing member;    -   mounting the landing member on the roof; and        -   wherein the electronic operating instructions comprise:            -   i) at least one landing instruction configured to cause                the at least one unmanned vehicle to land on the landing                member, and            -   ii) at least one take-off instruction configured to                cause the at least one unmanned vehicle to take off from                the landing member.

Clause 4. A method comprising:

-   -   controlling, by at least one processor of a computing device of        an integrated roofing accessory, at least one antenna according        to software to transmit:        -   i) electronic operating instructions to at least one            unmanned vehicle, and        -   ii) network messages related to the at least one unmanned            vehicle to at least one additional integrated roofing            accessory on at least one additional roof;            -   wherein the at least one additional integrated roofing                accessory is configured to transmit the electronic                operating instructions to the at least one unmanned                vehicle;        -   wherein the integrated roofing accessory is installed on a            roof;    -   causing, by the at least one processor via the network messages,        the integrated roofing accessory, the at least one additional        integrated roofing accessory, or both, to communicate with at        least one unmanned vehicle; and    -   causing, by the at least one processor via the network messages,        the at least one unmanned vehicle to navigate to a landing        member positioned on the roof.

Clause 5. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4, whereinthe landing member is directly connected to the integrated roofingaccessory.

Clause 6. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4, whereinthe landing member is a horizontal platform.

Clause 7. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4, whereinthe at least one unmanned vehicle is configured to transport at leastone delivery item, and

-   -   wherein the system further comprises a receptacle that is        configured to accept the at least one delivery item.

Clause 8. The systems and methods of clause 7, wherein the landingmember comprises the receptacle.

Clause 9. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4, whereinthe landing member is configured to allow the at least one unmannedvehicle to be electrically charged from a power supply.

Clause 10. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4,wherein the at least one antenna is embedded within a surface of theintegrated roofing accessory.

Clause 11. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4,wherein the integrated roofing accessory and the at least one additionalintegrated roofing accessory form a computer network based at least inpart on the network messages.

Clause 12. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4,wherein the integrated roofing accessory has a right edge, a left edge,a front edge, and a back edge;

-   -   wherein one or more of the right edge, the left edge, the front        edge, and the back edge is configured to contact at least one        additional roofing accessory on the roof.

Clause 13. The systems and methods of clause 12, wherein the at leastone additional roofing accessory further comprises at least one shinglethat is made from a roofing material.

Clause 14. The systems and methods of clause 12, wherein one or more ofthe right edge, the left edge, the front edge and the back edge isconfigured to contact the at least one additional roofing accessory onthe roof such as to form a seal between the integrated roofing accessoryand the at least one additional roofing accessory.

Clause 15. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4,further comprising a water shedding layer provided on the roof; and

-   -   wherein the integrated roofing accessory is mounted over the        water shedding layer.

Clause 16. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4,wherein the integrated roofing accessory has a planar shape; and

-   -   wherein the integrated roofing accessory is configured to be        installed on a face of the roof.

Clause 17. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4,wherein the integrated roofing accessory has a ridge shape; and whereinthe integrated roofing accessory is configured to be installed in aridge vent of the roof.

Clause 18. The systems and methods of any of clauses 1 through 4,wherein the plurality of integrated roofing accessories comprises atleast three integrated roofing accessories integrated into at leastthree roofs.

While several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described,these embodiments are illustrative only, and not restrictive, and thatmany modifications may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart. For example, all dimensions discussed herein are provided asexamples only, and are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive.

1. A system comprising: an integrated roofing accessory that isintegrated into a roof of a structure; and wherein the integratedroofing accessory comprises: at least one roofing accessory component;at least one antenna integrated into the at least one roofing accessorycomponent; a computing module integrated into the at least one roofingaccessory component and in communication with the at least one antenna;wherein the computing module is configured to transmit, via the at leastone antenna, electronic operating instructions to at least one unmannedvehicle; at least one indicator integrated into the at least one roofingaccessory component; wherein the at least one indicator comprises a codereadable by the at least one unmanned vehicle; wherein the coderepresents a location associated with the structure encoded in the atleast one visual indicator; and wherein the electronic operatinginstructions comprise:  i) at least one navigation instructionconfigured to cause the at least one unmanned vehicle to navigateaccording to the location.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the atleast one indicator is one of: at least one radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag, at least one Near Field Communication (NFC)tag, at least one barcode, at least one Quick Response (QR) code, atleast one location identification marking, at least one electronicdisplay device, or any combination thereof.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the at least one unmanned vehicle is configured to transport atleast one delivery item, and wherein the system further comprises areceptacle that is configured to accept the at least one delivery item.4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna is embeddedwithin a surface of the integrated roofing accessory.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the integrated roofing accessory and the at least oneadditional integrated roofing accessory form a computer network based atleast in part on the network messages.
 6. The system of claim 1, whereinthe integrated roofing accessory has a right edge, a left edge, a frontedge, and a back edge; wherein one or more of the right edge, the leftedge, the front edge, and the back edge is configured to contact atleast one additional roofing accessory on the roof
 7. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the at least one additional roofing accessory furthercomprises at least one shingle that is made from a roofing material. 8.The system of claim 6, wherein one or more of the right edge, the leftedge, the front edge and the back edge is configured to contact the atleast one additional roofing accessory on the roof such as to form aseal between the integrated roofing accessory and the at least oneadditional roofing accessory.
 9. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a water shedding layer provided on the roof; and wherein theintegrated roofing accessory is mounted over the water shedding layer.10. The system of claim 1, wherein the integrated roofing accessory hasa planar shape; and wherein the integrated roofing accessory isconfigured to be installed on a face of the roof.
 11. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the integrated roofing accessory has a ridge shape; andwherein the integrated roofing accessory is configured to be installedin a ridge vent of the roof.
 12. A method comprising: obtaining anintegrated roofing accessory; wherein the integrated roofing accessorycomprises: at least one roofing accessory component; at least oneantenna integrated into the at least one roofing accessory component; acomputing module integrated into the at least one roofing accessorycomponent and in communication with the at least one antenna; whereinthe computing module is configured to transmit, via the at least oneantenna, electronic operating instructions to at least one unmannedvehicle; at least one indicator integrated into the at least one roofingaccessory component; wherein the at least one indicator comprises a codereadable by the at least one unmanned vehicle; wherein the coderepresents a location associated with the structure encoded in the atleast one visual indicator; and wherein the electronic operatinginstructions comprise:  i) at least one navigation instructionconfigured to cause the at least one unmanned vehicle to navigateaccording to the location. mounting the integrated roofing accessory ona roof of a structure;
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at leastone indicator is one of: at least one radio frequency identification(RFID) tag, at least one Near Field Communication (NFC) tag, at leastone barcode, at least one Quick Response (QR) code, at least onelocation identification marking, at least one electronic display deviceor any combination thereof.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the atleast one unmanned vehicle is configured to transport at least onedelivery item, and wherein the method further comprises a receptaclethat is configured to accept the at least one delivery item.
 15. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the at least one antenna is embedded withina surface of the integrated roofing accessory.
 16. The method of claim12, wherein the integrated roofing accessory has a right edge, a leftedge, a front edge, and a back edge; wherein one or more of the rightedge, the left edge, the front edge, and the back edge is configured tocontact at least one additional roofing accessory on the roof.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the at least one additional roofingaccessory further comprises at least one shingle that is made from aroofing material.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more of theright edge, the left edge, the front edge and the back edge isconfigured to contact the at least one additional roofing accessory onthe roof so as to form a seal between the integrated roofing accessoryand the at least one additional roofing accessory.
 19. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising a water shedding layer disposed on theroof; and wherein the integrated roofing accessory is mounted over thewater shedding layer.
 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the integratedroofing accessory has a ridge shape; and wherein the integrated roofingaccessory is configured to be installed in a ridge vent of the roof.